Lesson1

Contracts are an integral part of the workplace. In simple

terms, contracts are an .................. between two or more.................
that .............. terms and .................. the parties to follow them.
Contracts often include the amount that a client will pay
contractors and what services will be provided. For example, in
your office, you may have a contract that provides.............. that
your copier machine or phones will be repaired within a certain
amount of time. This service can either be done off-site or at
your...........A con-tract often states ways to ............ if quality of
work delivered is acceptable. Well-writen contracts
usually ..................... ways to ..................... problems like these
when they happen. Before ............. in a contract, both parties
should think carèully, as they will have to................. the
conditions specified in it. A contracts usually specifies how the
two parties can ............ it if either party fails to meet the terms

Lesson 2

Yassir is getting ready to realize his dream: opening business

that sells plants on the internet. After completing a business plan
that helped him to determine that there was demand for
his .............. in the ................ , Yassir is ready to start promoting
his business. Having ........... the bank that there was a market –
that there were consumers willing to buy plants on the internet –
he needed to find these ..............

Once he has an established base, Yassir,like other business

own-ers, will have to continually ................. new customers. At
the same time, he must make sure current customers are ......... In
order to be satisfied, ............... customers must be happy with the
product they reeceive. Yassir’s job is to ............ these customers to
gain their repeat business. To do this, he will have to .................
consumers that he offers a good product at a good price ,
especially when ..................... to the businesses with which
he ................. He hopes that internet plant buyers are here to stay
and not just part of a .................

Lesson 3

Warranties are a seller’s .................. to stand behind its products.

Most major purchases like computers or cars come with a
warranty, as do smaller purchases, like stereos or other electronic
housewares. Warranties are not .......... by law, but are .............
found on most products. If yo are making a purchase, you
should ............. the individual ...................... of a warranty, as each
can ............. in the amount of ........... it provides. At the minimum,
warranties are required to promise that the product will do what
it ..................... that it wil do; for example, that a blender will
blend or a hair dryer will dry hair. Most waranties are good forr a
fixed time, then they ............. you can ............ yourself by buying
products from companies with good ................. and taking good
care of your new perchase. There are ................. to not talking
care of product, as most warranties require that you use the
product in a certain manner.

Lesson 4

Every business must ............... a business plan. The business

plan’s .............. purpose is to improvw the entrepreneur’s control
over the business and help to him .................. common mistakes. It
is not an overstatement to say that a business plan, so there is
no ............ for a well-prepared plan. The business plan documents
the ............ for growing the business. Think of the business plan as
a road map that describes in which direction company is going,
what its goals are, and how it is going to get there.

In developing the plan, the entrepreneur will conduct

research to determine a systematic and relistic ................... of the
company’s chances forr success in the marketplace. In creating the
plan, the entrepreneur must research the company’s target market
and sefine its potential. The entrepreneur must be able to prove
through research that customers in the market need the good or
service that is ................. and that a sufficient number of potential
custumers exists to support the business.

A business plan also look at the .......... the business faces.

Chief among these is competitors. The business plan must analyze
the company’s competition by ............. information on
competitor’s market share, products, and strategies. The plan
should ............. what distinguishes the entrepreneur’s products
and strategies. The plan should .............. what distinguishes the
entrepreneur’s product or services from others already in the
market. It is also common for businesses to fail because they
owner fails to invest or seek sufficient capital to run the business.
A good business plan should ................ this issue as well.

Lesson 5

Many ............ and organization hold annual conferences so

that their members can .................. with each other and ............
education programs. When planning a conference, event
coordinators try to have a variety of ............ so people ................
can ................. a workshop or meeting that best suits their needs.
When making ............. for a conference, they look for a asite that
will ............ all their needs. The site should be able to ............ the
number of people expected to attend, without the meeeting rooms
being ........... Good event coordinators tour the site before making
a final decision because brochures cannot show all the necessary
details. Having meetings in a fun ............. can really encourage
people to ............... for the meeting.

Lesson 6

When i try to ........ .... my computer, a .............. pops up that

say “Low Memory”. From there, i can’t .................. what to do.
The computer won’t let me ............ any of my files, so i
can’t ............. for those that i could delete. I’ve already ............. all
of my ................. files, and i can’t belive that my remaining files
are using up so memory. I’d be happy to ................ the computer’s
warning, but I have no option, since the ................. is frozen on
this message. Do you think I’ve .............. to understand something
about the operations of this computer? If you can, would you
please ............... a few minutes in your busy schedule to help me
solve this silemma? As i said before, i’m sure that my software
is ............. and is not the source of this problem.

Lesson 7

Many companies have one person or a department

that ................. running the office. If you have ever worked ffor a
company that doesn’t have an office manager, you very quickly
learn to appreciate the importance of the job. Who is in charge of
placing orders? Who services the fax machine or printer/ who
make sure that the office is presentable for customers? Are the
new conference tables and shelves ................. as well as ...........?

It is the office manager’s responsibility to maintain an effcient and

smooth-running office. He or she looks for ways to .................
costs and minimize interruptions in the day-to-day operations.
Whereas functional managers know the ............... of their
employees, the office and the supplies and machines that are in the
office .

The office manager .................. the ordering of fumiture and

supplies, and ................... chaning office technology. Overtime, he
or she may notice .............. problems that require changing a
service ................. Furniture and large items are ordered on
an ............... basis. Other frequently used materials, such as paper,
folders , and mailing materials, are on an automatic ordering
schedule and a .............. of those supplies is on hand at the office.

Lesson 8

How many employees show any ................ for their corpoảte

culture? How many executives appreciate what their corporate is
and what it is .............. ? It is often .............. by the ofice
procedures and rounties that have been established over the years.
A manager made her mark twenty years ago by dressing ...............,
there by forever changing the dress ...............Adirector bought
from the competition when he ran ............. stock and the practies
soon became standard. These examples add to a company’s
culture.

Good employees know what the standark procedure are. This

is an important element in recruiting new employees, as well as
training workers. When training workers, it is often important to
have them these the procedures, write their reactions
and ..................... their opinions to these practies. This promotes a
sense of cooperation between those who establish the ............. and
those who must follow them.

Employees who have been with a company for many

yearsmay not be able to identify ................ practices because they
haven’t ................. anything else. What happens when a
department needs an extra hand? Is a “temp” .............., or is
somone borrowed from another department? The new recruits
often ask the questions that allow more senior employees to get
a ................ of the corporate culture.

Lesson 9

By themind-1980s, virtually all U.S.businesses owned at

least one computer. Prices of computers declined ................. over
the next few years, resulting in a surge in popularity. At the
sametime, offices started to rely on ..............., which .............. the
sharing and processing of data. Such data ................ was made
possible by improvements in both the hardware industries.

More recently, data storage ................ have undergone their

own revolution. Because of................... advancements,
the ................ capacity of compact disc increased significantly.

In addtion, manufacturers of ............. offer competitive

upgrades to .............. competitor’s products.

Virtually all office workers today are trained in the

most ............ word processing software.

Computers repeatedly ............... the workplace, and

everyone, no matter how accomplished he or she is with
other................, needs to stay abreast of major trends in comuter
development.

Lesson 10

In small offices, it is often the executive assistant who must

manage all of the printed material that the firm produces. The job
responsibilities include typing and printing out the
correspondence. These letters and memos must all be
carefully ....................... to make sure they are error-free. If not,
the errors should be corrected. If the meaning is not clear, the
correspondence should be revised. This .................. should be
done ..................... not when the letter is ready to be sent.

Before putting correspondence into an envelope, the executive

assistant must ................. all the various attachments and other
documents to be enclosed with the letter. When ................... the
correspondence, the assistant should make sure that when opening
the envelope, the recipent sees the letterhead first.

One prepared, the correspondence must be sent appropriately.

Local, urgent mail could be hand-delivered by a ................
service. Long –distance, urgent mail could be sent overnight or
by .............. mail. If a record is required, mail can be .............. ...
and receipts are given.

In addition to transmiting and receiving faxes, the execuitve

assistant must work closely with company officials. When the
company executives have to make a presentation, the excutive
assistant often becomes a graphic designer charged with
the ................ , or the look of, the graphics and text for the printed
materials used during the presentations. Did i ............... that these
duties generally invole learning extremly .................. design
software ? it’s a wonder that more executive assistants
don’t ............. their bosses for a raise

Lesson 11
 Recruiting employees is a ................. and costly process.
Therefore, employers want to ..................... the right person with
the right job first time around. There are many ways to ...............
good employees: advertising in newspapers and professional
journals, recruiting on college campuses or at conferences, or
getting referrals from headhunters

Recruiting is a time for a company to brag about its ............... and

excite people about its future. Eeach company is trying
to .............. the best and the brightest, but they are not alone. Their
competion is trying to do the same thing. When jobs
are .................. and there is low unemployment, employers many
face higher demands from job seekers. Conversely, when the
economy is slowing down and jobs are few, employers are in a
better position for attracting the best ..........

Employers look for certain characteristics and ................in their

employees. ..................... a very specific .............. that fits the
company culture and specific job requirements is a difficult nob.
Employers want to see a well-rounded candidate and someone
who has related work experience. Employers will make hiring and
salary determinations based on the information
candidates ................ throughout the application and interview
process.
 Lesson 12

How many times in your life will you search for a new job?
The ........... say probably more times than you think! Some people
find the job search time-consuming and hard on their self- ..........
the best job hunters are those who never stop looking and don’t
dwell on their .......... they network ...............: at meetings , at
social gatherings, and with people they meet on the street.
They .................. periodically wth contracts and acquaintances to
keep up with new developments.

Good job hunters assess their ........... all the time. Before they
even .............. for a position, they have researched the field and
the specific companies they are interested in. They know where
they could fit into the company and they tailor their resumes for
each position. They try to show how their ................. match the
job opening. Therefore , when they are ................. for an
interview, they’rs prepared. They ............... anything!
at the interview, these job hunters know that they
must ................ themselves in the best way possible. This is their
opportunity to shine. It is also their opportunity to see if this is
truly the job that they want. If either party is ............. at the
interview, it may be a sign that it isn’t a good fit.

Lesson 13
 After the ads have been placed, and the interviews have
been ................, decisions have to be made. Who should the
company bring onboard? Job offers are extended and they are
either accepted or ................ For those who accept the offer, the
job search has been completed .................... But for both the
employer and the new hire, the job has just begun.

Companies want new employees to ................ new business and

new ideas as soon as possible. Before