Brain Storming nyelvtanulási segédletei

EMPLOYING NEW EMPLOYEE

- Do you want to employ new people at the moment?

- No, for the time being.

- When did you last employ people?

- In January.

- For what posts?

- We needed a credit coordinator.

- What qualifications does this post need?

- Candidates had to have 3 years experience in credit management. This was the basic requirement. In addition we needed a young, and local person, with a valid driving licence, because he must travel on business a lot.

- Did you find a person fast?

- No.

- How long did you advertise the post?

- Not long, and there were a lot of candidates – but it took long to find the proper person among them.

- About how many candidates were there?

- Several dozens.

- How fast did you choose?

- It was about a month between advertising and employing.

- What did you do after finding the right person?

- We sent her to a special training. This is a training organized by our company and our banks.

- How long is it?

- The bank-course is about 3 days, our company course is about one or one and a half weeks.

- Is there any valuing at the end of the course?

- No, the main thing is attendance.

- Is it an important post?

- Yes.

- How big is the fluctuation in this profession?

- We appreciate performance.

- How do you do it?

- For good performance we give bonuses.

- For example?

- It’s mainly a financial thing.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021

Reducing expenditures

- How does this new year start?

- For the time being it starts well.

- What do you mean?

- The turnover is good.

- Why is it good?

- It’s more than it was thsi time last year.

- How much is it more in percentage?

- It 30% more.

- What could be the reason for that? What do you think?

- I think we have advertised smartlier.

- What can you sell more in this period?

- It’s strange but everything goes better.

- What are the chances for this going on?

- I don’t know.

- So, are you pessimistic?

- No, I’m not, but I have no exaggerated expectations.

- At the moment what do you think can reduce your turn-over?

- I don’t think it will reduce, but I can’t see what will help us to increase.

- OK, but what could reduce it?

- Economical factors.

- For example?

- I think of labour market. If more people can’t work or can’t earn more, they won’t buy more long-lasting goods.

- So you depend on people’s salaries?

- Yes, absolutely.

- So, you say, that in this situation there are not many advertising technics or special price-actions that would make peole buy your goods?

- There would be some, but we have to be careful. We have to keep the incomes and expenditures in balance.

- Do the special crisis taxes have effects on your prices?

- No, but I think it will, on our budget.

- From where?

- From banks, from service supplisers.

- What are you optimistic about?

- I hope people are aware of these changes and they will satisfy their needs in thsi sitiation, too. I have to trust int hat situation won’t be much worse.

- What kinds of servise suppliers did you think of?

- The first is the energy supplier, for example the gas suppliers, then the electricity suppliers and the banks.

- How much will your energy bills increase, what do you think?

- I think they will go up with 7 or 8 per cent.

- Will you try to reduce your bills?

- Yes, we will talk about the contracts with the suppliers. This is an open market and we will try to make them complete with prices.

- What are your chances?

- I think if we look at our market position, as we are large consumers, and suppliers like good payers.

- How much reduction would you be glad with?

- The best will be a no-changing situation.

- What other ways would you have to reduce bills?

- We’ll have to reduce consuming gas and electricity.

- In what ways?

- For example we can turn off the TV-walls when there are only a few customers.

- Can you apply for financial help if you want to reduce your energy consuming?

- Yes, we can, but our headquarterts is very modern, and the other places we only rent. It isn’t our job to improve those places.

- How can you reduce expenditures with investments? What kinds of investments can reduce your expenditures?

- First, our infrastructure doesn’t need to be improved with investments. We don’t plan to improve it for about 3 years. We should, but now we will postpone the refurnishment of the shops. So, to tell it briefly, we will save money with not investing into not directly profitable things.

- But tell me investments for more profit.

- For example, we will reopen a shop – it is an investment that will make profit.

- And what about transport?

- We have some own transporters but we rent (/hire) some outsiders, too.

- How is it cheaper or less expensive ?

- With own and with outsiders when it is needed. This combination is the best in every respect. When the turnover is low the own transporters are enough, but with higher turnover we hire outsiders, too.

- So, the more own transporters we have, the less profitable with changing turnover.

- That’s correct. Our transporting system is economical. We can’t make it more economical.

- How much do your prices go up with the higher fuel prices?

- Because of smaller jumps we can’t make the prices higher. But if tax of fuel goes up or the prices are high for a long time we must put it into the prices of our goods.

- When did it last happen, that you had to do this?

- Last January.

- How much didi t change then?

- It was 8 per cent.

- How do you build additional expenses into prices? Who counts it?

- We have a special expert called ’controller’, and he is the one who watches every expense and he gives us advice low we should form prices.

- How often don’t you take his advice?

- I mean, what affects your prices at different times?

- There is seasonability in this profession, too.

- Give me an example.

- For example this year doesn’t have a special occasion, so companies have a new idea.Thsi year there will be campaigns before Easter, and they will tell parents to give their children lap-tops.

- Will prices go down then?

- The average prices will be the same, but the new products will be a bit better.

- When will you start this action?

- About three weeks before Easter.

- How effective do you think it will be?

- There will be a global campaign, so I’m sure there will be a good market.

- What other markets will make profit from this?

- Its accessories, (for example) everything that are used together with PCs.

- And after Easter?

- Of course, there is always a cooling season in the market – in the fridge market and of course int he air-conditioner market, too.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021

Selling Bags and Leather-goods

- What kinds of bags do you sell?

- Mainly hand-bags for women.

- Others?

- There are backpacks, rucksacks, belt-bags, wallets and purses, brief-cases, suitcases, and accessories, for example caps, scarves, gloves, etc.

- How big is your store capacity?

- We don’t have a special store – we keep everything at the shop.

- Who decides market policy?

- It’s mainly common. For example the size, the place and the form of advertisements are decided by me, and the content is decided by my partner.

- Do you make actions?

- Yes.

- How often? Regularly?

- Yes, every month.

- Are you known int he town?

- After a year I think we are.

- Do you have a regular supplier?

- Yes, we have several.

- From Hungary?

- No, mainly foreigners.

- Do you sell Hungarian products?

- Yes, we do.

- Are they different?

- Yes, they are of better quality than Chinese ones.

- Are they cheaper or more expensive?

- They are more expensive – but they are really better.

- Are there any regulations you have to keep about products?

- No, there aren’t.

- Have you ever got any authority-check?

- Yes. of course.

- About what?

- About running conditions and documents, and about our staff.

- Do you have somebody for transporting goods?

- Yes, my partner. He is the transporter.

- Where do you buy your goods from?

- From impoters.

- Do you order or only buy them?

- We usually order in advance. For example, from large brands we have got a spring-collection catalogue and we have to order now for next spring.

- Do you usually have unsold goods?

- Usually in January we try to sell everíthing we didn’t or couldn’t sell the previous year. We reduce prices with 50% at most.

- Do you use things from your shop?

- Of course. My lap-top bag, my suitcases, etc.

- Have you ever given goods from your shop as a present at Xmas?

- No, I haven’t, in my family, but at wrok I gave some for good work.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021

FLYERS

- How often do you publish flyers?

- In every 10 days.

- Not every week?

- We don’t publish them by the weeks, but by the time of the beginning of the months and the time of payings, etc.

- Has it ever happened that you didn’t publish for the last few years?

- Yes.

- What happened (to your profit)?

- We lost some profit in the meaning of not earning more.

- How much do the flyers help in percentage?

- About 20 to 30 per cent.

- How many flyers do you publish at a time?

- About one million.

- And how do you arrange that the flyers are put into mailboxes from the stores?

- It’s arranged by the Marketing Department. They get them (I mean the flyers) to go the mail services. After that geo-marketers arrange them.

- How do you check their work?

- We have a supervisor and they have one, too, and they go to checking-tours together. If the flyers don’t get to people we reduce their bill.

- Do you have ads ont he Internet, too?

- Yes, we have.

- Can you check their effectiveness?

- Yes, absolutely.

- Is it better than flyers?

- Not yet. But it can be checked easilier.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021.

Business (and other) Trips

- Where have you been so far?

- I have been to the Netherlands for 2 days; Korea, for a week, it was a one-day travel there; after Korea I went to France, to paris, for 2 days; Hamburg, in Germany, for 3 days; after that I went to Slovenia, for 5 days; after that we went to Balaton, for 8 days.

- What did you do in Korea?

- I visited factories.

- What kind of factories?

- A TV-factory and a home-theatre and AV-technics factory. We met lots of people, for example developing engineers.

- Did you see new things?

- Yes, we saw new things. For eaxample a new 3D-TV, that can be watched without glasses, buti t is just a prototype. It isn’t enjoyable but very interesting.

- Will they sell it soon?

- No. But it is about one or two years.

***

- What did you do int he netherlands?

- We met international partners of our chain. It was a buyers’s meeting. It was a boring programme, but the country is nice.

***

- What did you do in France?

- It was an incentive-trip. We saw a tennis-match. After that we went to a boat trip. It was a very special boat with very big spotlights and they lit the things on the bank. Ah, yes, and we tasted very fine wines. It was only 2 days but we enjoyed it very much.

***

- What did you do in Germany?

- We were at a meeting, where they gave a prize to the supplyer of the year.

- What was the prize?

- It was a nice plate. Anyway, it was a meeting like that was int he netherlands.

- Nothing special happened then?

- Nothing.

***

- What did you do in Slovenia?

- We met some leaders of a big factory. It was a partnership developing meeting.

- What was the main programme?

- It was relaxing.

- What kinds of realxing things did you do?

- First we went to lake Bled. We ate and drank wines, we had cigars. The next day we went on a boat-trip to an island int he middle of the lake. There was a church there. It was on the top of a clif. Ninety steps led to the church. There was a magic-bell there. According to a legend, when somebody sounds the bell and wishes something, it will come true. We went to the beach, too. The third day we went to Portoroz – it is on the coast of Slovenia. It is a great spa. We spent our time there eating and drinking local specialities, seafood mainly, for example crabs, lobsters, fish, octopus, shellfish, etc. We drank Italian wines, mainly, because a lot of Italians go there and they like them. The fourth day we went shopping int he morning and then we left for home. You know, we wanted to see a match on TV.

***

- Well, and where did you go with the family?

- We went to lake Balaton. We rented a house in Siófok.

- What kind of house?

- It was well-equipped. There were 3 rooms. It was only 150 (one hundred and fifty) metres from the beach.

- How long were you there?

- It was 8 (eight) days.

- What did you do?

- We enjoyed the beach. We went on trips to tapolca and Salföld. We had great lunches and dinners. We visited our friends living there. They cooked us fish-soup. … Well, this month was very busy and tiring but also very enjoyable.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021

Communication practices for top managers – talking about business, work and others - 11

Business Life Changes (after elections; in summer)

- How much has the turnover developed during this month?

- Nothing, but at the moment it isn’t bad.

- How much have the elections changed business life, if any?

- It hasn’t changed, yet. Everybody is waiting.

- What for?

- For a miracle.

- What kind of business miracle?

- The base of the miracle is the more jobs, the less tax and the cheaper credit.

- If the tax is lower, will you employ more people?

- We won’t employ more people but we will be able to pay them more and motivate them much more.

- So it is good for the present workers and employees?

- It is a long process. There will be spectacular results after years.

- So, do you think yo will sell a lot of LCD and big-screen televisions this year?

- I think, … I mean I hope, we will sell more in JUne than last year. But the summer will be very soft.

- What don’t people buy in summer? What can’t you sell in large numbers in summer?

- People don’t buy hair-driers and oil-radiators in summer.

- And what do you sell more?

- Refrigerators and freezers ans air-conditionioners.

- You give guarantee for them, right?

- No. It is given by the importer.

- And the buyer will call them if there’s a problem (with the product)?

- Yes, directly them.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021

The third best-seller goods

- What is the third best-seller goods?

- The third best-seller is the washing machine.

- How many types do you sell?

- 100 or 150 types.

- Which is the top type of them.

- It is the Electrolux top-loader one.

- Is it a better type than the front loaders?

- It is not much better – but Hungarian flats are small. They can find room easilier.

- What can be better in the front loader type?

- A tumble drier can be put on its top. It is designed for that.

- But how popular goods are tumble driers?

- In Hungary they are not popular yet, but we can sell more and more day by day.

- Why aren’t they so popular?

- Because people think they crease clothes. But they don’t, on the contrary.

- When do you think they will be as popular as dishwashers?

- About 10 years.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021

Travelling on Business

- Where have you been so far?

- So far I have been to Amsterdam.

- On business?

- Yes, on business.

- Were you successful?

- Unfortunately, not.

- Why?

- Because what we talked about could have been talked on the phone, too.

- So, it was a waste of time and money?

- Yes, it was.

- How will it influence your home business?

- No way, for the time being.

- How long were you there?

- Only for a short time, but it was like years.

- Didn’t you do any leisure programmes?

- No. It was pure business.

- Where and when will you next have business talks abroad?

- The next business travel will be to Korea in May.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021

Seasonal Products

- What are your seasonal products? What can you sell more in the different times of the year?

- We haven’t got any typical spring best-sellers.

- Why?

- It’s a good question. Perhaps in spring people spend more on living expenses.

- When does the marker usually start to increase?

- In May.

- What is more saleable in May than in the months before?

- People buy more fridges. It may be because fridges go wrong int he warmer weather.

- What do people buy more in summer?

- Cameras, GPS, and things for beauty-care.

- What do people buy all the year?

- The market is always changing.

- What do you think the purchasing vawes depend on?

- A lot of things. For example seasons, public holidays, holiday seasons and global events, for example world championships, Olympic games, and even elections, too.

- How do elections affect your business?

- Before elections people don’t know if their lives will be better or worse so they (dare to) buy things they haven’t so far.

- What do people (tend to) buy before world championships?

- Televisions – with better image-quality and with larger screens.

- Can you have influence on buying?

- Yes, definitely.

- How?

- By advertising and making actions… and things like this.

***

BRAIN STORMING - 2010-2021

Lesson SEVEN - What Kinds of Products haven't you Sold?

- What kinds of products haven’t you sold?

- We don’t sell electrical gardening appliances, and for example  baby-care products.

- What was the latest and newest thing that you started to sell?

- For example we strated to sell set-top boxes.

- What are they for?

- The set-top boxes make digital signals from analogue signals.

- Are they saleable os marketable?

- From the end of 2011 they’ll surely be. After that there will be only digital TV-programmes.

- How much are they at the moment?

- There are several kinds – you can buy one for 20.000 or 35.000 Fts.

- Will they be cheaper?

- Yes, they will.

- When?

- When there are a lot of Chinese products on the market.

- Why are Chinese products cheap?

- Because Chinese labour is cheaper.

- How much cheaper are they?

- I don’t know exactly. It’s about 25% of European average.

- And how much labour does it need to be made?

- About 50% is automatized.

- How cheaper would it be if it was made by 100% automatization?

- I think it wouldn’t be cheaper.

BRAIN STORMING, 2010-2021