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Director of a Ukrainian company. Here's my card.

¾Good afternoon, Mr Klimenko. Have you seen our advertising material?

¾Yes. Your Stand-Attendant gave them to me.

¾Does our new pr oc essing equipment interest you?

¾ Yes. W e are looking for new mac hi ner y f or our f act or y in Kiev. W e need to decide what equipment to buy.

¾Our new equipment is not a bad choice, Mr Klimenko. It corresponds to the highest technical level and the highest standards existing in the world today.

¾But your company has not been well-known until recently.

¾You're right. W e have been often considered as a second-tier player behind some well-known companies like Continental Equipment and MGM Instruments. Our company was viewed as one that was only g ood f or some things. That's changed, we're now respected as a company as c apabl e as C onti nent al Equipment in our field.

¾I was impressed by the performance of your equipment. I've seen a lot of similar systems at the exhibition ... but your equipment outperforms them.

¾We've worked hard and we've achieved some success, Mr Klimenko.

¾How long is the guarantee for your equipment, Mrs Foster?

¾Twelve months from the start up of the equipment, this is standard.

¾How long will it take you to deliver two sets of this equipment to Kiev?

¾Of standard design?

¾Yes.

¾Two-three weeks from the date of payment

¾And to put it into operation?

¾Two-five days depending on the model.

¾Is it possible to arrange training f or our oper at ors in your training centres?

¾ W hat kind of training, Mr Klimenko?

¾To teach them to operate the equipment properly.

¾There is no need to send your specialists to our training centres, Mr Klimenko. The equipment is fully computerized. It's easy for even inexperienced personnel to

operate it.

¾Fine. W e are also very interested in maintenance.

¾We provide technical support for all our equipment.

¾And could you tell me if it's possible to adapt your equipment to our conditions?

¾I think you'd better discuss it with our Consultant, Mr Berger. At the moment he's over there, by the next stand. He'll reply to all your questions concerning the design of our equipment.

¾Thank you, Mrs Foster.

Multitasking

(Adapted from S.McCartney)

From the earliest time people have been trying to do several things simultaneously. They can read a book, cook dinner, talk on the phone, and do many other things at the same time. As cars have become available, the time of multitasking has increased: people drive, listen to the radio, eat, and smoke in their cars at the same time.

Now an arsenal of new technology (from notebook computers, to cellular phones and portable televisions) makes it possible for everyone to multitask all day.

The computer industry introduced the word "multitasking" into the vocabulary. Mainframe computers that handled networks were the original multitaskers. Apple's and Microsoft's software turned millions of personal computers into multitaskers. Today millions of people can set their personal computers to multitask while they are themselves multitasking: talking on the phone, receiving faxes, and looking through newspapers at the same time.

While multitasking is not bad for computers, it may be a bad thing for some people. Psychologists say it is possible for the human brain to process two or more tasks at the same time, but only one of them receives full attention. Multitasking makes

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people's stressful lives even more stressful. Experts say that although a lot of people believe that multitasking enhances their productivity, in fact it can reduce it.

Because of the limitation of the human brain, multitasking can lead to many mistakes. Indeed, a person who is doing several things at the same time may put the wrong number in a spreadsheet or send a message to the wrong e-mail address. Moreover, people on the other end off the line don't usually like to talk to a person who is doing something else while talking to them. It may alienate the people from the multitasker.

Multitaskers also like to do more than one thing at once even in their leisure time. They cannot watch television without reading a newspaper or have dinner without watching TV.

Now multitasking takes place nearly everywhere. A lot of businessmen and managers are never far from their notebook computers and cellular telephones. They are almost always doing two or three things at once, driving and dialing, speaking and typing on their computers. On airplanes they are using their notebook computers to answer e-mail messages. While driving, they are speaking on their cellular phones. "Why wait?" they ask. "That's the world we live in right now".

Pattern of Multitasking (By A.Hailey).

Edwina went back to the beginning. What were the obvious facts? The first was that money was missing, the second was that the amount was six thousand dollars. The third obvious fact was that Juanita Nunez knew the exact amount of money missing from her cash drawer after almost five hours of transactions and before she had balanced out her cash. Everyone who knew about the loss agreed it was impossible.

But was it impossible? Edwina got up. "Mr Totteahoe, will you come with me please?"

They crossed the floor; Juanita Nunez was accepting a deposit. Edwina said quietly, "Mrs Nunez, when you've dealt with this customer, please put up your 'position closed' sign and lock your cash drawer."

Juanita did not speak while transferring a small metal plaque to the counter as instructed

Edwina asked, "Mrs Nunez, you've been insisting that you always know the amount of cash you have. Do you know how much is in your drawer now?"

Juanita hesitated. Then she nodded, unable to speak.

Edwina handed her a slip of paper. "Write down the amount." After visible hesitation Juanita took a pencil and wrote, "$23,765".

Edwina passed the slip to Tottenhoe. "Please go with Mrs Nunez and stay with her until she balances out today's cash. Compare the result with this figure."

Three quarters of an hour later Tottenhoe reappeared. He put the slip of paper on Edwina's desk.

"The figure was right?" Edwina asked.

"Exactly right," Tottenhoe replied.

LESSON 8

WHOLESALING & RETAILING

Mf Klimenko is making all the necessary preparations for the Draft Contract. He wants to talk to different people about improving the management of his company. Mary Elliot is assisting and escorting him.

¾Let me introduce our Sales Trainee to you, sir. His name is Fred. He examines packaging and checks transportation documents.

¾How do you do?

¾How do you do?

¾Are salesmen paid salaries instead of being on commission?

¾Yes, we get a regular weekly salary, that's great,

and we're us ed t o t r avel in g a l ot as we have to deliver the goods to customers.

¾I see, how do you personally understand the term "marketing"?

¾The origin of this word is the Latin word "mercuri," meaning "to trade and barter." Marketing, therefore, is made up, on the one hand, of such physical activity as transporting, storing, and selling goods, and, on the other hand, of a series of decisions that must be reached by any organization undertaking any part of the process of moving goods from the producer to the consumer. It's also necessary to have a "hot line" f or consumer inquiries and complaints to facilitate feedback from the market to the producer.

¾Thank you, Fred. I would like to have such a competent trainee as you in our company. Now I must phone and talk to the Advertising Manager....

¾Can I see the Advertising Manager today? This is Mr Klimenko speaking.

¾Unfortunately Ms Abbot is off. She is having her lunch with the designer. Will you leave a message for her?

¾Yes, please. I would like to invite her to dinner and