Today's Workplace by Les Éditions CEC

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CONTENTS Units

1 The Perfect Fit

Speaking and Professional Pronunciation Terms

Texts

Editing Focus Writing

• Discovering your traits and soft skills • Self-promotion • Word endings and been

• Describing traits, interests and accomplishments • Exchanging opinions

READING: The Best Job in the World READING: Avoiding the Negative Forbes.com

The simple present, • Cover letter The Ideal Candidate present continuous • One-page resumé • Optional Writing and present perfect Task: Letter of hire

• Deciding on investments • Role-playing options • Saying numbers and amounts

• Arranging a meeting time • Basic terms of agreeing and disagreeing

READING: The Earl Jones Case montrealgazette. com VIDEO: David Chilton: The Wealthy Barber CBC’s The Hour

Quantifiers, count and non-count nouns

• Testing your customer service skills • Role-playing a complaint

• Toning down anger

READING: The Birth Capitalization, • Formal letter of of Customer Service commas and complaint Frank Hogg common verb errors VIDEO: How to Complain CBC’s Marketplace

Cellphone Nightmare • Optional Writing Task: Writing and responding to a complaint

• Analyzing salaries • Agreeing and disagreeing • Saying and writing amounts

READING: As Good The simple past As Gold (Clara Hughes) cbc.ca READING: Gaming Gone Viral (Playfish) prospectmagazine

• Press release

Damage Control • Optional Writing Task: Report on an event

• Examining crosscultural issues • Word stress

• Proposing

READING: A Landmark Report VIDEO: Malcolm Gladwell on Achievement CBC’s The Hour

• Request for clarification

Promoting employees • Optional Writing Task: Report on an event

• Discussing the benefits and drawbacks of volunteering • Persuading • Word stress

• Comparing and Contrasting

READING: Katimavik Question formation • Persuasive email VIDEO: Pay It Forward Foundation piff.org

Volunteer Bureau • Optional Writing Task: Welcome or thank you

• Discovering leadership qualities • Consensus building

• Presenting opinions and preferences

READING: Katimavik Prepositions VIDEO: Heather Reisman CBC’s The Hour

Leading or Managing • Optional Writing Task: Report

Case Study

PAGE 8

2 Money Matters PAGE 18

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

3 How May I Help You?

• Requesting reporting on banking information

The Wealthy Offspring • Optional Writing Task: Brief report

PAGE 28

4 Let the Games Begin PAGE 38

5 Backgrounds and Cultures

Modal auxiliaries

PAGE 48

6 Volunteerism PAGE 58

7 Getting Ahead

• Formal request

PAGE 68

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

Units

8 What’s Right

Speaking and Professional Pronunciation Terms

Texts

Editing Focus Writing

• Defining ethics • Consensus building • Word stress

READING: I Do As I Say VIDEO: Michael Budman’s Roots CBC’s The Hour

Past and Present Perfect

• Promotional letter Ethical Dilemmas • Optional Writing Task: Memo to all

• Dealing with the • Stating facts stress of change • Summarizing facts • Intonation

READING: Experts Wonder… VIDEO: The World According to Harry

Articles: a, an, the or nothing

• Formal request

Dealing with Change • Optional Writing Task: Memo

• Reading between the lines • Agreeing on style • Sentence stress: Content words

• Persuading

READING: The Importance of Colour VIDEO: The Age of Persuasion

Adjectives

• Agendas for meetings

What’s in a Name? • Optional Writing Task: Online pamphlets

• Testing your bargaining skills • Gentlemen’s agreement

• Negotiating

READING: The Importance of Colour VIDEO: Bidding Wars

Adjective clauses

• Minutes to a meeting

Leveraging • Optional Writing Task: Minutes to a meeting

• Air travel nightmares • Sentence stress: function words

• Apologizing

READING: Culture Shock 101 VIDEO: A Lonelier Planet

Phrasal verbs

• Informal emails

Weather Gone Wrong • Optional Writing Task: Itineraries

• Comparing old and new media • Understanding headline English

• Clarifying

READING: Death of newsprint-not! VIDEO: Explaining Social Media and Flutter

Noun clauses

• Writing an editorial piece

Managing Failure • Optional Writing Task: Three choices

READING: Weak in R&D VIDEO: Protecting Your Reputation Online

Future forms

• Formal report

Hire Me in Five Years • Optional Writing Task: Three choices

• Consensus building

Case Study

PAGE 78

9 Nothing Is Permanent PAGE 88

10 I’m Sold! PAGE 98

11 Deal-Maker PAGE 108

12 Checking in PAGE 118

13 Media Literate PAGE 128

14 Tomorrow’s Workplace

• Predicting future • Forecasting trends work spaces • Mispronounced words: The Top 50

| WORKPLACE GLOSSARY AND PROFESSIONAL TERMS | EDITING FOCUS | SAMPLE DOCUMENTS PAGE 148

C O N T E N T S

PAGE 158

PAGE 170

III

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

UNIT

THE PERFECT FIT

OBJECTIVES • Speaking: Self-promotion; describing traits, interests and accomplishments; exchanging opinions • Editing Focus: Present tenses • Writing: Cover letter, resumé • Case Study: The Ideal Candidate

1 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

“Whoever does not love her or his work cannot hope that it will please others.” – Anonymous

Let’s Get Started FINDING

THE

PERFECT FIT

When you work in groups, do you prefer collaborating to working alone? List your three dream jobs. Then, rate how much teamwork or independent work they require on a scale of 1 (not much) to 10 (a lot). Read the example. Dream job Graphic designer

Teamwork 6 Have to work with clients

Independent work 8 Can work from home

2 8

How much work experience do you have, both as a paid employee and/or a volunteer?

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

If you don’t have a lot of work experience, give a mark to each of the following 12 workplace qualities (also called soft skills) that you think you have, from 1 (“That’s not me”) to 10 (“I have that!”). confidence

friendly character

motivation

open-mindedness

enthusiasm

good appearance

sincerity

positive attitude

punctuality

interpersonal skills

written skills

stable track record

With the soft skills you have ranked, discuss with a partner what you could offer to each dream job if you had the hard technical skills.

Interview each student in your class. On a separate sheet of paper, note each of your classmates’ ranking of soft skills. When you are finished interviewing, choose and write down one or two people in your class that you think would make up a good team. Check your choices with your teacher.

With your team, discuss the following: in your work experience, have you felt that your employer treats (or treated) you as a “great asset” or a “valuable resource”? Or, on the contrary, do you feel or have you felt neglected, underrated or unappreciated? In your groups, share, discuss and list examples of both “feel-good” and “not-so-good” moments on the job. Explain why in both cases.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Reading Analysis THE BEST JOB

IN THE

WORLD

Ben Southall is not your usual job applicant, but in 2009, his healthy enthusiasm, competitive nature and quirky sense of adventure landed him a six-figure salary in the Best Job in the World contest sponsored by Tourism Queensland in Australia. What’s more, his talent for selfpromotion proved so positive for the image of the Australian state that he recently became their official Tourism Ambassador.

British Man Wins Australian Island Dream Job Associated Press, May 6, 2009

caretaker noun [C], a person who takes care of a property

A bungee-jumping, ostrich-riding British charity worker was named the winner Wednesday of what’s been dubbed the “Best Job in the World”—a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island. Ben Southall, 34, of Petersfield, Hampshire (UK), beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for six months while writing a blog to promote the area.

5 world

He was selected for the $131,000 gig by officials from the Tourism Department of Queensland state. gorge reg. verb, to eat quickly and in large amounts

Southall and 15 other finalists spent the past four days on the island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel through crystalline waters, gorge themselves at a beachside 10 barbecue and relax at a spa. The finalists also had to demonstrate their blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through in-person interviews.

UNIT 1

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PERFECT

FIT

Among the finalists was Erik Rolfsen, an online news editor with Vancouver newspaper The Province. Seven Canadians were among the 50 finalists selected from nearly 35,000 applicants for the job, which is part of a $1.5 million tourism campaign to publicize the charms of northeastern Queensland. 15 Officials

say the campaign has already generated more than $96 million worth of publicity for the region. It quickly became a viral marketing hit, spreading quickly across the world via YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook.

viral marketing hit express., successful marketing associated with social media, especially videos social networking express., using socially oriented websites to build networks of friends

“I hope I can sell the reef as much as everybody is expecting,” Southall said after he was crowned the winner at a ceremony on Hamilton Island. “My swimming hopefully is up to standard.” 20 Southall once worked as a tour guide in Africa, but most recently has worked as a charity fundraiser.

In his application video, he expressed a love for adventure, and featured photographs of himself riding an ostrich, running a marathon, scuba diving and kissing a giraffe. “From the time he was announced in the Top 50, and then the Top 16, Ben has excelled in showing a true passion for Queensland,” Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said in a statement. “His ideas for how 25 he will make the role his own … plus his initiative and ability to rise to a challenge impressed the selection panel and secured his place in the top job.”

1 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Although unquestionably a publicity smash success, the contest has also attracted a fair bit of scandal since it was unveiled in January. First, the job’s website crashed due to a deluge of visitors, angering many hopefuls who couldn’t 30 access the site to lodge their video applications. Later, the Tourism Department was forced to admit it

had created a popular video “application” showing a woman apparently getting a tattoo expressing her love of the Great Barrier Reef. oust reg. verb, to force someone out of a position; to throw someone out

Then one finalist was ousted after it was revealed she had connections to the adult entertainment industry. And a prankster identifying himself as terror mastermind Osama bin Laden posted a video 35 of himself on YouTube reciting reasons why he was the best pick for the job.

prankster noun [C], someone who plays tricks on people

Southall will live for free in an airy, three-bedroom oceanfront villa with a private pool and sweeping views of the surrounding islands. He plans to bring his Canadian girlfriend with him to the island for the duration of the job. Source: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/05/06/best-job-world-queensland-winner.html

Words in Context

Write a definition for each of the words below. 1. to be dubbed 2. a gig 3. crowned 4. fundraiser 5. deluge

Comprehension

Answer the following questions, based on the text you have just read. 1. Where is Ben from? 2. What did applicants have to do in the interview process?

3. What has the campaign already generated?

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

4. What does Ben say about his swimming abilities? 5. What kind of work experience does Ben have? 6. What scandals surrounding the contest does the article mention?

Collaboratively Speaking SELF-PROMOTION

Watch

View Ben’s one-minute promotional video on the Internet titled, Island Reef Job – Ben Southall, from February 2009, and check off the following soft skills you feel he possesses: confidence

friendly character

motivation

open-mindedness

enthusiasm

good appearance

sincerity

positive attitude

punctuality

interpersonal skills

written skills

stable track record

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Prepare

Ben’s job is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but in his video he demonstrates the importance of self-promotion in a tough job market filled with qualified candidates and few job openings. Although the job he applied for is extremely rare, there’s no doubt that the process of getting any job is a form of competition. Read the following fictitious job posting on a job search site:

Wanted

PROFESSIONAL TERMS

Château-sitter

Describing traits, interests and accomplishments

• Expressing positive traits I’m (not) + adjective I’m a + noun I can … My friends/former colleagues say that I’m … • Expressing negative traits I’m a bit … I sometimes ... I have to say that I … • Areas of interest I really enjoy … I love to … I feel really passionate about …

Municipality of Aix-en-Provence requires a house-sitter for 12-bedroom, historic beachfront landmark, from May to October Remuneration: € 100,000 (approx. $ 140,000) Minimum requirements: Working knowledge of French; college or university degree

• Listing achievements I have worked in /completed/managed, etc. I was awarded … I’ve been to …

Brainstorm

With a partner, list one another’s soft and hard skills and prepare a one-minute video presentation or in-class presentation for the Château-sitter job posting. Be sure to cover the four points below. 1. Explain why you want the job 2. Your traits, both positive and negative 3. Your achievements, academic or otherwise 4. Your interests

Present

Practise your presentation five or six times and record or present it in class.

UNIT 1

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Vote

Once all of the candidates have presented themselves, your teacher will give you a ballot with your name on it. Vote for the candidate (other than yourself) who you think did the best job of presenting his or her soft skills.

Reading Analysis AVOIDING

in a rut express., stuck in a dull routine or a boring way of life

THE

NEGATIVE

Once your honeymoon with a new job is over, the realities of work set in. The pressure of work can easily overwhelm and, more importantly, test your ability to manage negative emotions. Thankfully, there are countless strategies to help you avoid feeling like you’re in a rut, as this article explains.

How to Overcome a Bad Mood at Work By Sara Eckel

1 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The ability to manage your emotions is an essential skill and responsibility. The best managers make the connection between negativity in the workplace and a negative balance sheet. To make the obvious and opposite point, according to Professor Barsade’s 2007 study co-authored by Donald Gibson, who is an associate professor of management at the Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University: “Expressing positive emotions and moods tends to enhance performance at individual, group and organizational levels. Especially with the economy right now, people look to leaders for calm in a chaotic environment.”

BE HERE NOW pinpoint reg. verb, to find the exact location or source of something

When you’re feeling cranky, it’s often easy to pinpoint (or point fingers at) the problem: your boss, your husband, traffic. But while any one or all may be a problem at the moment, they are not in control of your reaction to them. You are.

spin cycle noun [C], the stage of doing laundry when a washing machine spins the clothes

Managing how you respond to others is oftentimes simply a matter of managing your thoughts, says Steven Alper, LSCW, a consultant with the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine who teaches stressreduction techniques to executives. For example, if your boss gives you an extremely tight deadline for a project, it’s easy to get caught in an endless spin cycle of whining: I can’t believe she did this to me again! Doesn’t she realize I have 10 other things to do this week? Not to mention a family at home that needs me—not that she would know what that’s like.

fret reg. verb, to worry about something

In other words, you’re wasting precious time and energy ruminating about the past (all those other 11th-hour assignments) and fretting about the future (not finishing in time to get your kids from daycare). The solution, instead, is to bring yourself into the present. Either get to work, recruit help or explain to your boss why the deadline is unrealistic.

GET GROUNDED short-circuit reg. verb, to bypass or avoid

To short-circuit those recurring negative thought patterns, Alper recommends thinking not on, but with, your feet. “We literally feel the thinking in our heads, so you want to get away from where the thinking is going on and drop into the body,” he says. Place your feet firmly on the floor (either standing or sitting—and it’s OK to stomp each foot just once) and feel the sensation of the soles of your feet pressing on the surface. This will help get you out of fantasyland and onto solid ground.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH IM an initialism meaning “instant message”

A foul mood may start in the brain, but it also has a physical effect—calling for a physical solution. Proper breathing techniques can help keep a bad mood from turning into a raised voice or nasty IM. Alper explains that the value of “taking a breath” isn’t simply a matter of pushing the pause button. When something upsets us, like a hostile co-worker, we often freeze—and stop breathing. “When we

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

flee irr. verb (fled, fled), to run away

perceive a threat, the primitive part of our brain prepares the body to fight, flee or freeze by sending blood to our arms and legs—and away from the brain—so you feel more confused,” he says. Slow, deep and rhythmic breathing can dissipate that response. “When you take a deep breath, the message that goes to the brain is, ‘OK, all clear,’” says Alper. To get the most out of deep-breathing strategies, he recommends practising them for at least 10 minutes each day; otherwise it will be very difficult to access that relaxation state in a moment of crisis. “It’s like batting practice or basic training in sports,” he says. “You have to learn the basic skills so that you can deploy them in a game situation.”

batting practice noun [C], a practice session for improving your ability to hit a baseball

HIT THE PAVEMENT Exercise is another very simple, effective way to check out of the brain and into the body. Unfortunately, when the client meeting is in 15 minutes, you can’t exactly duck out for a Pilates class or a five-mile run. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Robert Thayer, a professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach, found that mood improves dramatically after a brisk walk of only about 10 to 15 minutes. “It has an immediate and positive effect,” says Thayer, who is the author of several books on mood, including The Origin of Everyday Moods. “It both releases tension in the muscles and energizes the body.” Bad moods are inevitable, but there are even more ways to work past them. Source: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/07/22/f-forbes-bad-mood-workplace.html

Words in Context

Identify the part of speech (adjective, adverb or verb) for each word or phrase below and use simple words to explain each meaning. If the word is a verb, write out its regular or irregular past forms. 1. point fingers (at)

adjective

adverb

verb

adjective

adverb

verb

adjective

adverb

verb

adjective

adverb

verb

adjective

adverb

verb

adjective

adverb

verb

meaning 2. whine meaning 3. stomp meaning 4. hostile meaning 5. dissipate meaning 6. brisk meaning

Comprehension

Answer the following questions based on the text you have just read. 1. What does expressing positive emotions in the workplace do? 2. What does the article mean by “Be Here Now”? 3. What is meant by thinking with your feet?

UNIT 1

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1 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

4. How should one breathe to avoid a fight, flee or freeze response? 5. What does “hit the pavement” mean in this article? Does the expression have another meaning in the context of work?

Dos AND Don’ts

Word endings and been

Edit This! PRESENT TENSES

• Say the third person clearly. He works … Everyone sees … She manages… DON’T

1 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• Over-pronounce been, or it will sound like “being” to a native-speaker. Been is usually pronounced with a short sound, “bin”—it rhymes with “skin”.

Simple Present When do you 1. Describe habitual actions use it? 2. State facts 3. Express non-actions, like states of mind How do you create it?

Present Continuous

Present Perfect

1. Explain an action occurring right now 2. Describe temporary actions

1. For unspecific past actions 2. Actions that express accomplishments 3. Very recent news events

Ms. Chang is interviewing clients right now.

I have been to London before. The candidate has just graduated.

I am not studying accounting this semester.

Mary has not been defeated.

Are you working for the city on this contract?

Has the president just made a policy decision?

Affirmative form I help the elderly in my community. Negative form Tim does not work for IBM.

Question form How does your manager feel about overtime? Editing Focus

Your best friends, Stéphanie and Matthew, are both applying for a job with a company in Ontario. They have asked you to correct their cover letters. Read and edit the following letters, and focus mainly on present verb tenses. There may also be other errors.

Stéphanie Armstrong-Nadeau 8765 Sherbrooke Street East, Montreal, Québec H4X 1K0 (514) 995-4539 Montreal, 20 may 20XX Mrs. Mansell Director of human Resources Nadir Graphics Inc. 132, Bradford, Suite 109 Barrie, Ont. L4M 3C1 Dear Danielle: Your job posting on WorkTarget.com caught my eye yesterday, and I have been very interested in this position. I am a translator and graphic designer for 12 years, and I love it. When I read about the job openings in translation with your company, I knew I had to apply. For five years, I do a lot of subcontracting work in translation. I work for the Canadian government for two years, and last year I was hired to do a new project that include

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

promotional material for the Quebec consulate in New York. This month I work on a third project with a volunteer organization in Sherbrooke, Quebec. With my enthusiasm to learn and work collaboratively, I thinks I can say that I am being an ideal candidate for the job. Sincerely, Stéphanie Armstrong-Nadeau

Matthew Séguin-Greenberg 590 Rte 201, St-Clet, Quebec J0P 1S0 (450) 456-9650 May 25, 20XX Daniel Mansell Director of Human Resources Nadir Graphics Inc. 132 Bradford, Suite 109 Barrie, ON L4M 3C1

Dear Mr. Mansell: Your job posting on JobTarget.com sound very interesting, so I would like to submit my candidature for the position of translator. I am a proofreader and copy editor for 2 years, and I work mostly in French-language publishing. Right now, I am doing a lot of subcontracting work in translation. I work for Global Media for two years, and my specialty was translation from English to French. I am knowing that I doesn’t have a lot of experience in French to English translation, but I am knowing I really want to learn. In my humble opinion, you have in your hands a cover letter from a hard worker who have no shortage of energy. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Matthew Séguin-Greenberg

Dos AND Don’ts Resumé styles DO

• Notice how a resumé can be presented in different ways. There are a variety of resumé styles, but the content must include your career objectives, work experience, including volunteer work, academic background and interests.

Send It THE COVER LETTER

RESUMÉ

Write a cover letter that includes the following: • Your address • The date • The recipient’s address • A greeting • How you discovered the job posting

DON’T

• Write a long resumé; your resumé should not be longer than one-anda-half pages. For a candidate with a lot of experience, both a short oneand-half-page resumé and a longer, more detailed version should be prepared before a job interview.

AND

• Your reasons for applying • Your work experience • A conclusion • Appreciation • A complimentary closing (Sincerely, …)

Write a one-page resumé that describes your career goals, work experience, academic background and your interests. Pay special attention to margins, spacing, punctuation and present tenses (simple, continuous and perfect).

» FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COVER LETTERS AND RESUMÉS, REFER TO PAGE XX IN THE REFERENCE SECTION.

UNIT 1

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• • • • • • • • • • • • •

UNIT

Case Study The Ideal Candidate

Background

You work for Sterling Toys LLP. You are looking to hire a full-time, permanent developer to help you increase your company’s market share in Canada and Southeast Asia. The job opening consists of a six-month training session in Vancouver, followed by a transfer to the Singapore office. The candidate is expected to travel 60% of the time. So far you have interviewed eight candidates, and you’ve just come up with a short list of the best candidates: Ahmed, André, Caroline and Keiko.

May 2 Interview with Two Sales Directors – Profiles and Notes In your first interview, your sales directors supplied you with the following basic information:

Details

Ahmed

André

Caroline

Keiko

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Education

BA in marketing

BComm

BA in languages

MBA

Sales experience

Three years at Five years at Maxine Kids Toys Toys 4 Us, as (US) sales clerk

Five years at CGC Some retail sales printing in junior experience sales

Software skills

MS Word and Outlook

MS Office Adobe Writer XML

MS Office (not Excel), Publisher

MS Office, Adobe Writer

Language fluency

English, French, Arabic, some Malay

English, French, Spanish

English, French, Arabic, Spanish, some Mandarin

English, Japanese, Mandarin

Overseas work experience

US and Lebanon

Europe, Mexico, Spain

France, Spain

Japan, Taiwan

Other pertinent info

Great interpersonal skills

Develops websites to supplement income

Volunteers for children

Sells toys at Christmas to supplement income

NOTES FROM THE SALES DIRECTORS Ahmed: Knows toy industry very well; works long hours; has not travelled very much; has a working knowledge of Malay André: Personable; presents himself well; loves to travel; good listener; knows toy products well Caroline: Experienced; knowledgeable; generous; has great interpersonal skills; demonstrates initiative and perseverance Keiko: Inexperienced but qualified; knows latest toy products well; language skills a definite asset; has travelled to Singapore and Malaysia

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

PROFESSIONAL TERMS

May 10 Interview with Vice-President of Sales and the President

Exchanging opinions

NOTES FROM THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF SALES

• Asking for an opinion What do you think about …? What’s your feeling about …? What are your thoughts on …?

Ahmed: Enjoys challenges and thrives on competition; demonstrates excellent problem-solving skills; appears productive André: Understands the market quite well; demonstrates a sensitivity to market needs; has strong analytical skills but tends to withdraw when there’s a tough question

• Giving strong opinions I strongly believe that … I have no doubt that … I’m certain that …

Caroline: Can pinpoint problem areas very well; talks a great deal about her accomplishments; some knowledge of the market; problem-solving skills are good

• Giving tentative opinions I’m not sure if/that … It seems to me that … I would say that …

Roles

Keiko: Excellent with numbers and analytical skills; shows very good problem-solving skills; understands the Asian and Canadian markets very well Recruitment Test Results Shortlist of Arithmetic candidates

Figure analogies

Leadership and ethical issues

Cultural awareness

Emotional quotient

Ahmed

Average

Very good

Excellent

Very good

André

Excellent

Very good

Excellent

Caroline

Below average Very good

Average

Very good

Keiko

Excellent

Poor

Excellent

Average

Excellent

• Two sales directors • Vice-president of sales • President of the company

Procedure

Optional Writing Task

1 2 3

In groups of four, choose the best two candidates from the list of four above.

Reach an agreement about the best candidate to hire.

Discuss your choices with the other members of the group. Give your opinions about the two candidates and your reasons for the choices you made.

As the director of sales, write a letter of hire to the candidate selected by your group. Include a warm welcoming statement and information such as job title, starting date, starting salary, conditions of employment and benefits. End with a statement of congratulations that also indicates that you are looking forward to having him or her as a new member of your sales team.

» FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO WRITE A LETTER OF HIRE, REFER TO PAGE XX IN THE REFERENCE SECTION.

UNIT 1

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• • • • • • • • • • • • •

UNIT

MONEY MATTERS

OBJECTIVES • Speaking: Agreeing and disagreeing; arranging a meeting time; saying numbers • Editing Focus: Quantifiers, count and non-count nouns • Writing: Requesting information • Case Study: The Wealthy Offspring

•

2 • • • • • • • • • • • •

“Money is like an arm and a leg—use it or lose it.” – Henry Ford (1863–1947), American industrialist

Let’s Get Started STAYING NUMBER ONE

asset noun [C], property or possession having monetary value deposit noun [C], money placed in a bank account capitalization noun [NC], the share price multiplied by the number of shares, providing a total value of the company as a whole. branch noun [C], a local office of a bank headquarters noun [always plural], the administrative centre of an organization

Read the following text and consider the terms in each column of the chart below. Canada’s banking system is widely considered the most efficient and safest banking system in the world, and it is ranked as the world’s soundest banking system according to a 2008 World Economic Forum report. Canada’s banks, called chartered banks, are regulated by the Department of Finance Canada and have over 8,000 branches and almost 18,000 automated teller machines (ATMs) across the country. In addition, Canada has one of the highest numbers of ATMs per capita in the world and benefits from the highest penetration levels of electronic channels such as debit cards, online banking and telephone banking.

Top Six Banks in Canada – Overall Value in Billions of Dollars Banks Headquarters Assets Deposits Capitalization Branches Full-time employees Royal Bank of Canada

Toronto and Montreal

$655.0

$398.2

$75.5

1,197

71,186

Toronto-Dominion Toronto Bank

$557.2

$391.0

$56.7

1,116

65,930

Bank of Nova Scotia

Toronto and Halifax

$496.5

$350.4

$48.8

1,019

67,802

Bank of Montreal

Toronto and Montreal

$388.5

$236.2

$31.0

900

36,173

$335.9

$223.1

$26.2

1,069

41,941

$11.9

$105.0

$41.0

536

46,000

Canadian Imperial Toronto Bank of Commerce Desjardins Group

Montreal

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

Dos AND Don’ts DO

• Stress the -teen ending in thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, etc. • Stress the first syllable of twenty, thirty, forty, etc. • Use North American pronunciation of 20 (twen’y), 30 (thirdy), 40 (fordy), 70 (seven’y), 80 (eighdy), 90 (nine’y) so your listener does not confuse them with thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, etc.

Choose a partner and practise saying all the numbers in the chart above. Remember, all monetary amounts are in billions of dollars.

Reading Analysis THE EARL JONES CASE

Jones’s Jail Time Lets Down His Victims The Gazette, February 16, 2010

DON’T

• Add an ‘s’ or ‘es’ to even small amounts, nor drop the ‘s’ for the currency, fifty dollars, not fifties dollar; ninety euros, not nineties euro.

Despite having defrauded 158 clients of $50 million, ruining many of them, Earl Jones could be out of jail in less than two years. Jones, Montreal’s most notorious Ponzi schemer, was sentenced yesterday to 11 years, but under Canada’s sentencing guidelines could serve only one-sixth of his sentence. Under the guidelines, fraud is considered a non-violent crime and those who commit fraud less of a danger to the public than armed robbers, for example. Jones’s victims might argue that point. Being robbed down to their last cent by a man they considered their friend in many cases, close family in others, these victims felt violated to their very core. His own brother, Bevan Jones, said, “He can rot in hell.” Bevan Jones, together with his wife, Frances Gordon, was defrauded of $1 million by his younger brother. Many of Jones’s victims lost their entire life savings to his 20-year scheme. None of the money was ever invested. No money has been recovered. The Sûreté du Québec and a bankruptcy trustee spent months going through Jones’s accounts. Victims have announced they are seeking the right to sue the Royal Bank of Canada for allegedly allowing Jones to carry on despite an irregularity in his accounts. Jones used his fraudulently gotten wealth to live a life of luxury, with condos in Mont Tremblant and Florida. The US was faced with fraud on a much bigger scale in Bernard Madoff’s $50-billion Ponzi operation. Madoff was fuelled by the same base desire for personal gain. Madoff, like Jones, defrauded all in his path, including small investors who lost their life savings. Madoff was sentenced to 150 years. He is expected to die in prison. His sentence might be excessive, but his victims know their justice system took what happened to them seriously. Jones’s victims won’t feel like Canada’s justice system has taken them seriously. If he’s out in 22 months, it’ll feel like the justice system is a bad joke. Keep him in, for 11 years. Source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Jones+jail+time+lets+down+victims/2568904/story.html

UNIT 2

MONEY

MATTERS

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Words in Context

Replace the underlined words in each sentence below with one of the words or expressions in the following list. Use each word in the list only once. Ponzi operation guidelines fraud savings trustee sue wealth

1. These unhappy investors want to take those responsible to court. 2. Both Bernie Madoff and Earl Jones ripped off many people to accumulate large amounts of money for themselves. 3. The court-appointed person controlling the victim’s money and property could not locate all his assets. 4. Jones ran a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any

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actual profit earned, for many years.

5. With the downturn in the economy and loss of jobs, many people had to withdraw

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money they had set aside. 6. Surprisingly few white-collar criminals ever spend time in prison for the crime of secretly robbing and lying to their clients. 7. This corporation offers official advice or instructions on how to proceed.

Comprehension

1. How much of his clients’ money did Jones invest? 2. How much of it is left? 3. For how many years did Jones fool people? 4. Why are people upset with the Royal Bank?

5. Why are Jones’s former clients disappointed in his sentence?

Discussion

In groups of four or ﬁve, discuss the following questions: What is your opinion of schemers like Mr. Jones? What reasonable punishment should he face? How can white-collar crime be more serious than a violent crime?

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E

Collaboratively Speaking WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS?

PROFESSIONAL TERMS

Agreeing, disagreeing and meeting times • Agreeing and disagreeing I completely agree. I have exactly the same opinion. I think ... On the whole, I agree, but ... I totally disagree. • Arranging a meeting time Are you free on (day) at (time)? Would you be available on (day) at (time)? Yeah, that sounds good. Yes, I’m available. I’m afraid not. How about …?

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Prepare

Meet, Agree and Decide

In groups of four to five students, imagine you are financial advisors who have recently found out that your rapidly growing company has decided to invest a great deal of your after-tax profit into either a public or private business. The CEO has asked that you each read and analyze the three companies he recommends. See the profiles below.

As financial advisors, arrange a fictitious day and time to meet. At the meeting, come to an agreement about investing your company’s new profit. Decide with your group on the company with the best potential return on your investment.

Play-with-Me Inc. is a plastics toy manufacturing company based in Montreal, Quebec. Although all its toys were originally made in its Montreal plant, the company has now shifted all of its production to Chinese subsidiaries. It has even started to outsource some of its services that were handled internally. Both accounting and client-information services, for example, have been outsourced to Indian companies. Business analysts have noted that the company has increased profits. However, labour relations have been strained because of layoffs, foreign production and outsourcing. In addition, clients have been complaining about their inability to get clear answers to their questions. They often feel they are never talking to the right person. Share Prices (per unit): Current: $ 1.52 This year’s high: $ 2.11 This year’s low: $1.01 Pre-tax profits: $ 2,145,033

Earnings per share: $ 0.20 Dividends paid (per share): $ 0.07 Assets: $ 33,548,780 Liabilities: $ 22,448,760 Growth potential: High

Comments: With a high number of foreign operation costs, PWM Inc.’s profit margins have grown by over 20%.

UNIT 2

MONEY

MATTERS

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e-Zee Banking is a Canadian online bank specializing in corporate accounts, including overseas accounts. Even though its head office is officially in Toronto, most of its front-line employees are behind computers in India and Indonesia. There is also a phone-in client service handled by a call centre in New Brunswick to take care of any urgent matters or client complaints. Business analysts have noted that e-Zee Banking has a reputation for offering secure and efficient on-line services. Clients are generally pleased with the bank’s accessibility, service and interest rates. They point out, however, that it is not a chartered bank. As a result, it is not subject to all the federal government’s regulations. Share Prices (per unit): Current: $14.18 This year’s high: $14.19 This year’s low: $14.08 Pre-tax profits: $3,456,819

Earnings per share: $3.15 Dividends paid (per share): $ 0.80 Assets: $15,680,180 Liabilities: $13,333,334 Growth potential: Moderate

Comments: There is incredible growth potential in the international banking sector. In the next four years, US and Canadian governments are expected to gradually pull away from investigating holders of overseas accounts because of improvements in tracking tax evaders. e-Zee has a head-start in this specific area of the banking industry, but its liabilities are very high.

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Hole-in-One is a very popular regional chain of doughnut shops operating in southern Ontario. Their five outlets are very successful in the local market and even rival the national chains in their area. The company is a private, family business. The three children have now taken over from the parents in the day-to-day operations. The new generation wants to expand. In order to raise the necessary funds, they want to go public with a share offering. Business analysts love their doughnuts but are not sure about the profitability of their expansion plans. The business is successful on a small scale; however, experts wonder if this success can be transferred to a larger operation, especially since the owners want to keep a centralized control rather than going the usual route of franchising. Share price offered: $9.60 Pre-tax profits: $840,314 Earnings per share: information unavailable (private ownership) Dividends paid (per share): information unavailable (private ownership)

Assets: $4,350,015 Liabilities: $230,567 Growth potential: Very high

Comments: Both the mother and father have a checkered past. They were charged by the RCMP with fraud 30 years ago, and they each served an 18-month sentence. You’ve done a background check on both of them, and they’ve had no issues with the law since then, not even a speeding ticket. The fact that the chain is competing with American doughnut chains means you might be able to tap into the lucrative US market.

T O D AY ’ S W O R K P L A C E