Business in the 21st century
Lesson 13
Writing and Responding to Business-Related e-Mails
1. DIALOGUE Ω disk 2-13
Listen to the e-mail messages and note the numbered expressions.
(an e-mail message to a client)
From: Koko Kitano <kitano@k-phone.com>
To: Stan Cole
Sent: Monday, April 1, 2004 5:55 P.M.
Subject: New Product Purchasing Opportunity
Dear Mr. Cole,
How would you like to take your mobile phone on your next international business trip or vacation? The product engineers at K-Phone International have just developed a revolutionary114 portable115 phone that will allow you to make or receive calls from anywhere in the world, using your own phone number, for a very reasonable116 monthly fee!
No other company can offer you a better deal. Why pay more for less? For more information, please visit our website:117 http://www.k-phoneinternational.com.
If after viewing our website, you still have questions, please do not hesitate to reply to this message and I will be happy to address personally any concerns you may have. Don't wait! Start receiving and making calls anywhere in the world today.
Yours sincerely,
Koko Kitano
Chief Sales Director
(a reply to the previous e-mail)
From: Stan Cole <cole@bigwave.com>
To: Koko Kitano <kitano@k-phone.com>
Sent: Monday, April 1, 2004 8:00 P.M.
Subject: RE:118 New Product Purchasing Opportunity
Dear Ms. Kitano,
I read your e-mail with interest and decided to have a look at your company's website. I am very impressed, but I do have a couple119 of questions.
First, is there a minimum fee120 that I would have to pay on top of the monthly fees, even if I don't use the phone? Second, is there any way that I can download121 the company's brochure122 about the current campaign? Or if you could forward it to me by attachment,123 that would be great.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Stan Cole
114 revolutionary = a complete change. Advertisements often try to use catchy words to get the attention of the recipient.
115 portable = mobile (easily carried) [e.g. Laptop computers are becoming more and more portable.]
116 reasonable = not excessive [e.g. The furniture was very reasonably priced.]
117 website = a series of pages on the World Wide Web for a particular company, organization or individual that showcases either products, services, or personal data and pictures (in the case of an individual’s website).
118 RE: = reply. When a person replies to the e-mail, the original e-mail is usually included and at the top of the e-mail in the subject line “RE” appears to let the receiver know that a previous e-mail is being replied to.
119 couple = two [e.g. I need to buy a couple of new shirts to take on my next business trip.]
120 minimum fee = lowest amount of money.
121 download = copying material off a site or file into your computer.
122 brochure = a pamphlet or a small book of information highlighting something in particular.
123 attachment = a file that can be sent electronically form one computer to another.
2. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
Answer the following questions with short answers from the dialogue.
1. What is the first e-mail advertising?
2. Is the advertised service expensive?
3. What day was the first e-mail sent?
4. How many questions did Mr. Cole ask in his reply e-mail?
5. How does Mr. Cole want the brochure to be sent to him?
3. MATCHING
Match the best combination of sentences from Column A and B.
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COLUMN A |
COLUMN B |
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• This suit sells for around $1.000. • This silk tie cost me over $100. • These shoes only cost $30. |
- That seems like a reasonable price. |
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- How many people are going? |
• I haven’t gone there. • I guess they are going. • Just a couple, I think. |
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• Do you want to see my report? • Do you have an e-mail address? • Do you receive my e-mails? |
- Yes, send it to me as an attachment. |
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- How can I get a copy of the file? |
• A minimum fee is paid first. • Download it from the website. • A revolutionary concept was made. |
4. MINI-DIALOGUES Ω disk 2-14
Listen and fill in the blanks and then practice saying the message aloud with a partner.
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Dear Sir/Madam: The ( ) staff at Autos Plus would like to know the ( ) and tastes of our most ( ) customers more clearly. We have ( ) an on-line survey that can be accessed by clicking on the ( ) address below. We would greatly appreciate it if you could ( ) to our questions. For taking the ( ) to assist us with the ( ), we will send you a voucher for $50.00 that can be used at any of our ( ) nationwide. ( ) you in advance. Jennifer Stahl, ( ) Sales Associate http://www.autoplus.net/survey
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Dear Mr. Ashland, I am ( ) to you regarding the ( ) that you made with our ( ) department. The merchandise you ( ) was in stock and it was ( ) this morning by ( ) mail. It should ( ) by the end of this week. If there is ( ) else you need, please do not hesitate to e-mail me. Thank you for your continued ( ). ( ) yours, JoAnn Mahin
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Dear Ms. Singh, Did you ( ) the e-mail regarding the ( ) that will be ( ) in December? If not, let me know and I will send you a ( ) of the conference by ( ). I look ( ) to ( ) you at the conference. ( ) care. Sammy Stonewall
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5. PAIRWORK-PRACTICE
Fill in the blanks using the words from the box. Each word is only used once.
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Recording A | ||||||||||
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rasheed Negesh, an on-line sales representative for Computers Galore. I am writing to ( ) you of a new ( ) that we are now offering to our ( ) customers. For a ( ) monthly fee, we will give you 24-hour-a-day support and assistance with any ( )-related issue or ( ). If your computer needs to be sent back to the ( ), for whatever reason, we will send you a new system to use until your computer is ( ). Please visit our ( ) for more ( ): http://www.computersgalore.net. Sincerely yours, Rasheed Negesh Sales Representative
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Recording B | ||||||||||
Dear Ms. Yamato, Thank you for your ( ) regarding the meeting that we had to ( ). I am happy to attend. If you need some extra ( ) from our office to ( ) out, let me know. I can easily ( ) them with me when I come. I am planning to ( ) a little early in order to get ( ). If you have time, I hope we can meet before the meeting over a cup of coffee to ( ) the meeting's agenda. If not, can you send the meeting's ( ) to me by attachment? ( ). Jason McGuire Personnel Director
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6. READING. AMERICAN BUSINESS CULTURE
Using the Internet as a Business Tool Ω disk 2-15
The Internet has rapidly become an essential component in doing business worldwide. It is estimated that hundreds of millions of people have access to the Internet, and this figure is rapidly increasing each year. In order to do business internationally, it is necessary to use the Internet as a valuable business tool.
The World Wide Web is basically an intricate network that helps businesses and clients connect with each other more easily. With the click of a button, a modern businessperson can reach literally millions of people instantaneously. This potential to reach multitudes of people with little effort or cost is making the Internet the fastest growing area for increasing business worldwide.
The Internet also allows clients to reach businesses more easily. The fact that customers have 24-hour access, 365 days a year, makes doing business convenient and efficient. Clients don't have to worry about time differences, telephone costs, or not being able to reach a particular person to talk to.
Many companies, large and small, have quickly learned that the advantages of having a webpage highlighting the company's products and services are immeasurable. Anyone at anytime can access the needed information just by accessing the company's webpage (i.e. business hours, services provided, how to contact staff and employees, how to pay, where the company is located, etc.). Making business-related Information available is one of the most important ways to make and retain clients. American companies have learned how important this technology is to their overall business.
Using the Internet as a business-tool can aid the employee greatly – it allows one to do the necessary research before a scheduled meeting or to contact potential clients initially in order to better serve them. The future is now, and the Internet is here to stay. The quicker you can learn how to maneuver and surf on the web, and to exploit it for business purposes, the more successful you will be.
Answer the following questions using information found in the essay.
1. How many people currently have Internet access?
2. What types of things can a person find on a company's webpage?
3. How can the Internet aid an employee as a business tool?
UNIT 5