INTRODUCING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ENGLISH

TUTORIALS

TD 2: THE GENERAL ORGANISATION OF A FIRM

[The Chart of the General Organization of a Firm (See enclosed paper)]

Vocabulary

➢ Who are at the head of a Big Company?

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (which supervises the activities of the Company),

THE MANAGING DIRECTOR (appointed by the Board of Directors and is
responsible to the board for the execution of their decision) and THE GENERAL
MANAGER (who supervises the different departments and assures good co-
operation in their work).
Enseignant : K. Olivier N’ZUE, Angliciste et Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la
Communication, Spécialiste de Marketing - Publicité
E-mail : nzueolivier01@gmail.com
 ➢ What are the main divisions of a big Company?
The ADMINISTRATION, the PURCHASES DEPARTMENT and the SALES
DEPARTMENTS.

➢ What Departments are there in the ADMINISTRATION?

o THE ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT: Dealing with all financial matters such
as accounting, record trade transactions, record inventories.
o THE GENERAL OFFICE including:
- Correspondence Department: transcribe or translate letters
- Mail Department: Sorting and distributing income mail and stamping
and posting outgoing mail.
o THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT: Dealing with and settles all legal matters.
o THE PERSONNEL(or STAFF) DEPARTMENT which includes all services
dealing with the employees: selection and training of the staff, Social
Security, paid holidays, medical inspection, canteens and all company
activities.
➢ What are the subdivisions of the PURCHASES DEPARTMENT?

A. THE WAREHOUSE: where the Firm stores its merchandises and where the
customers’ orders are made up from stock. It includes:
-The incoming goods department, where the goods ordered are received,
checked and kept.
-The invoice department, where invoices are made out and which works in
close relationship with the packing and delivery department.
-The packing department, where the merchandise is packed before being
dispatched
-The delivery department, which forwards goods by post, land (road and
rail), sea and waterways and by air.

B. THE STOCK CONTROL DEPARTMENT, where a record of stock-in-hand is

kept on cards, informing the management, at any given moment, of the
exact amount of goods in stock.

➢ What are the subdivisions of the SALES DEPARTMENT?

A. THE HOME-SALES DEPARTMENT, which directs the efforts of salesmen
and saleswomen, travellers and agents inside the country.
B. THE EXPORT DEPARTMENT, for sales to foreign countries
C. THE AFTER-SALES SERVICE, to which customers apply after the sale if
something goes wrong with their machine or appliance.

Enseignant : K. Olivier N’ZUE, Angliciste et Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la

Communication, Spécialiste de Marketing - Publicité
E-mail : nzueolivier01@gmail.com
 D. THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT and THE PUBLIC RELATION
DEPARTMENT are mainly in charge of creating a favorable public
image by planning and sustaining effort to establish and maintaining
mutual understanding between the Company and its public.
E. THE STATISTICS DEPARTMENT where numerical data are
systematically compiled and analyzed.
Some useful expressions
• To have business sense: Avoir du flair pour les affaires.
• To open an account: Ouvrir un Compte.
• To keep the accounts: Tenir la comptabilité ou les comptes.
• To take legal action against: Intenter un process à ou contre.
• Personnel Agency: Agence de Placement de personnel ou Bureau de
placement.
• To take stock of something: Faire le point ou l’inventaire de quelque
chose.
• To put up for sale: Mettre en vente.
• To put something up for auction: Mettre qch aux enchères.
Translation exercise
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. La Secrétaire du Directeur est en train de taper les lettres qu’il vient de lui
dicter.
2. On doit faire l’inventaire du stock à l’entrepôt
3. Le chef de service de la comptabilité a eu recours au service contentieux pour
régler cette affaire.
4. Nous exécuterons votre commande directement sur le stock.
5. Votre service après vente est l’un des plus performants du pays.
6. Le Président Directeur General a présidé le dernier Conseil d’Administration
7. Les garçons de course sont également chargés de faire les courses et
différents petits travaux de bureau.
8. Le Directeur Commercial peut, grâce au marketing, développer les activités
commerciales sur une plus grande échelle.
9. Le service contentieux a suivi la procédure.
10. Nous avons trois divisons dans une grande Compagnie : L’Administration, le
Service Achat et le Service vente.
11. Faite moi le point de votre projet.
12. Les factures de notre service emballage sont très élevées.
13. Il vous est formellement recommandé de mettre votre maison aux enchères.
14. Je m’entretiendrai avec le Directeur de la Banque et ensuite, j’ouvrirai un
compte.
15. L’homme d’affaires britannique écrit généralement des lettres plus courtes que
l’homme d’affaires français.

Enseignant : K. Olivier N’ZUE, Angliciste et Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la

Communication, Spécialiste de Marketing - Publicité
E-mail : nzueolivier01@gmail.com
TD3: MARKETS AND MARKETING

Vocabulary

➢ What is a market?
• A place where goods are bought and sold and where transactions for buying and
selling are arranged.
• Also refers to the mass demand of the potential buyers of a commodity or
service.

➢ What is marketing?
It is the coordination of the complex series of business activities directing the flow
of goods and services from the producer who has created them to the consumer
who uses them. Marketing includes all the different techniques used to sell a
product or develop a service.

➢ What is market research?

The collection, recording and analysis of information necessary to the successful
distribution of a product or service. It may include specialized techniques such as
Cost analysis and feasibility study.

➢ What is a feasibility study?

The study of basic considerations of a project which may involve a re-appraisal of
aims.

➢ What is sales planning?

It is the work of setting up objectives for marketing activity and of determining
and timing the steps necessary to achieve such objectives.

➢ What is sales Promotion?

It is primarily concerned with materials and techniques to reinforce and
supplement advertising and personal efforts.

Some expressions/words with Market and Marketing

• To be in the market for something: Être acheteur de quelque chose.

• On the open market: En vente libre.
• Market Analysis: Analyse de marché.
• To go marketing: Aller faire son marché.
• The market is raising/falling: Les cours sont en hausse/en baisse
• The wholesale/Retail Market: Marché de gros.
• Home/overseas/world: Marché interieur/d’outre-mer/mondial.
Enseignant : K. Olivier N’ZUE, Angliciste et Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la
Communication, Spécialiste de Marketing - Publicité
E-mail : nzueolivier01@gmail.com
 • The sales are on! : C’est la saison des soldes.
• To canvass : prospecter la clientèle
• Brand : marque de fabrique.
• Supply and demand : l’Offre et la demande.
• Marketing mix : Plan de Marchéage
• Mass marketing : Commercialisation de mass
• International money market: Marché monétaire international.

Make some sentences with the above expressions.

Exercise

- Translate the following sentences into English

1. Le marketing constitue l’une des activités essentielles du commerce.

2. L’étude de marché effectuée par la Société Orange est très efficace.
3. Généralement, les français exportent moins qu’ils en importent.
4. Le marché désigne, dans son sens plus usuel, le lieu où acheteurs et vendeurs
concluent des affaires.
5. Depuis le producteur jusqu’au consommateur, les produits suivent un
processus complexe.

- Translate the following sentences into French.

1. Door-to-door salesmen must often face some difficulties with customer.

2. The development of marketing techniques are very important to sell new
products.
3. In test marketing, a product is lunched in a small area on a small scale.
4. The cost of distribution of this company is high and the benefits are twice
higher.

Enseignant : K. Olivier N’ZUE, Angliciste et Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la

Communication, Spécialiste de Marketing - Publicité
E-mail : nzueolivier01@gmail.com
TD 4: PUBLICITY AND ADVERTISING

Vocabulary

➢ What is Publicity?
It is the business of launching and keeping the names of commodities, firms,
services or individuals constantly before the public. It involves market research,
sales promotion, advertising and public relations.

➢ What is advertising?
It consists of messages disseminated through paid media to make people favorably
aware of a product, brand, service, institution or point of view.

Question: - Can you tell us the difference you can notice between Publicity and
Advertising?
- What is the difference between Advertising and Advertisement?

➢ What are the main approaches to advertising?

Mass or Collective advertising and direct or individual advertising.

➢ What are the different types of mass advertising media?

A. THE DISPLAY OF MERCHANDISE. The presentation of goods to attract a

prospective customer.
B. SIGNS, POSTERS AND HOARDINGS. SIGNS are the paints on a board and
hung outside a place of business. A POSTER is generally a picture with a few
words of advertising or a slogan which can be stuck on walls or displayed in
shop-windows and public places. HOARDING is a large sign set up along
streets or highways to attract the attention of passers-by and motorists.
C. CINEMA STRIPS AND FILMS. This form of advertising is flashed on cinema
screens during the interval or at the beginning and the end of the programme.
D. RADIO AND TELEVISION COMMERCIALS. Broadcast advertisement
interrupting the programme to call the attention of the listeners or viewers to
the advertiser’s product or service.
E. PRESS AND PERIODICAL ADVERTISEMENTS. This publicity appears in
News papers and magazines.
F. FAIRS, EXHIBITIONS AND SHOWS. Vast displays of some particular kinds
of goods organized to attract hundreds of thousands of people.
G. MINOR MEDIA such as sky-writing, Sandwichmen, etc.

Enseignant : K. Olivier N’ZUE, Angliciste et Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la

Communication, Spécialiste de Marketing - Publicité
E-mail : nzueolivier01@gmail.com
Expressions with publicity

Lying advertising: Publicité mensongère (publicité).

Deceptive advertising: Publicité mensongère.
Newspaper advertising: Publicité dans la presse.
Press advertising: Publicité dans la presse.
Space advertising: Publicité de presse.
Corporate advertising: Publicité institutionnelle.
Poster advertising: Publicité par voie d'affichage.
Institutional advertising: Publicité institutionnelle.
Advertising campaign: Campagne publicitaire.
Advertising drive: Campagne publicitaire.
Advertising medium: Support publicitaire.
Advertising scheme: Plan pub (publicité).
Advertising agency: Agence de publicité.
Advertising agent: Agent de publicité

Exercise1: Translation

- Translate the following sentences into French

As we have not yet received a reply to our letter of November 1 st, we

have asked our agent, Mr Leonard Carter, to call on you when he is in
Dublin on December 1st.
At that time, he will be glad to show you samples of our latest models
for spring and summer.
He will also provide details of the advertising support we plan to give
our retailers on both a national and local scale.

- Translate the following sentences into English.

En ce moment, nous faisons la promotion de notre nouveau produit

sur le marché ivoirien. Des nombreux clients que nous avons reçus,
vous êtes l’un de ceux qui ont participé à la foire que nous avions
organisée pour montrer la puissance de nos machines à laver, nos
photocopieuses et nos imprimantes. Le marché est devenu très large.
L’augmentation du nombre d’émissions publicitaires provoque depuis
quelque temps, beaucoup de commentaires. Cette situation est
particulièrement grave pour le cinéma et l’affichage.

Enseignant : K. Olivier N’ZUE, Angliciste et Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la

Communication, Spécialiste de Marketing - Publicité
E-mail : nzueolivier01@gmail.com