Topics of business to business interaction

TOPIC 3: Telephone skills training
Your company has decided to run a one-day course on effective telephone skills
at work.
You have been asked to prepare the course.
Discuss the situation together and decide:
•
which staff in a company would most benefit from this type of training
course.
•
what advice and training should be given during the course
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ngân : Hi, Linh. How’s it going?
Linh: Hi, Ngân. I’m fine, thanks.
N: Great! Today we are going to talk about the one-day course on effective
telephone skills at work which you have been asked to prepare.
L: Yeah, let’s start.
N: uh. Let’s tell me which staff in a company would most benefit from this type
of training course?
L: I think telesales are the ones who will benefit the most from this type of
training course because most of their work is on the phone and they can get
more skills to improve their communication skills, know how to attract
customers as well as understand the needs and psychology of customers and
solve their problem in a friendly and professional manner.
N: What about the others? Will they get any benefit from this course?
L: I think anyone will also improve their skills to have a good understanding of
customer care issues and develop an agile approach when answering the phone
but telesales are still the ones that gain a lot.
N: Well done. I completely agree with you. And what advice and training should
be given during the course?
L: For the most part, I wanna give some advice to them in this training course
is that telesales must thoroughly understand the wants and needs of potential
customers and effectively communicate the benefits of the products and services

their company offers.
N: I couldn’t agree with you more. As service people, it's important to
understand how important our customers are to our company. What else?


L: In the course, we will teach staff ways to make a good first impression and
show their personality to customers, essential telephone time management and
organization, and Communication skills for difficult clients, so on,…
N: That sounds great. I hope that through this course our staff, especially
telesales, will improve and develop their skills to work over the phone
effectively to attract customers. OK, that’s all. See you later.
L: Yepp, boss. See you.
TOPIC 2
Promoting a new model
The car manufacturer you work for plans to produce a new model and to target
consumers between 18 and 25 years old.
You have been asked to make suggestions for promoting the car.
Discuss the situation together and decide:
●
●

which features of a car might be important to the target group.
how an advertising campaign could present the car

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------L: Today we have a small meeting about our plan for promoting our new car. So
Miss N, which features of a car might be important to the target group?
N: Automatic emergency braking: The system applies the brakes on its own to
prevent a collision when it senses a vehicle in its way, or to reduce the force of
an impact that can’t be avoided. Systems that include pedestrian detection are
some of the most beneficial.

Forward collision warning: This gives drivers a visual and/or audible warning
that a collision may be imminent.
N: In terms of advertising campaign, how could it present the car Miss Ngân?
L: We can add video advertisements to our website, sharing it on social media,
or uploading it on YouTube. Online video can offer our potential customers an
experience that persuades them to buy the products.
N: Okay. Noted. So i’ll report these information to our boss
L: Sure. Thanks for joining today meeting, N
N: Yeah, have a nice day


TOPIC 7:
Business and the ENVIRONMENT
Imagine that you are administrative assistants in a large international
company. Your manager has complained about the amount of waste in the
office.
You have been asked to make a change with your colleagues in the
office.
Discuss the situation together and decide:
●
●

why it is necessary to reduce waste.
how to reduce waste and how the best should be prized.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N: Hi, Linh. How are you doing?
L: Hi, Ngân. I’m quite worried. How about you?
N: I’m so so. Why are you worried?
L: Our manager has complained about the amount of waste in the office. And

now I am going to make a change with you in this meeting.
N: Oh, OK. Discuss it! Why is it necessary to reduce waste?
L: There are many reasons why reducing waste is important.
+ For one, Reducing waste in the workplace allows us to keep our small
business operating costs low while helping preserve the environment. Waste
reduction strategies don’t need to be costly or time-consuming to implement.
N: uhm, hmm
L: Next, Minimizing waste in the workplace can help us establish our
company's image, in the minds of clients and customers, as a good corporate
citizen.
N: Oh, that's right. We can make an impression on our customers by emailing
and sending electronically transmitting invoices that demonstrate our
commitment to reducing waste.
L: That’s a great idea. Reducing waste can also have a positive social impact by
creating more jobs for people in industries developed to recycle goods.


N: Wow, what a wonderful opinion. Because of the huge importance of reducing
waste, we need to take action as soon as possible.
L: Yeah, that’s right. Do you think of any possible solution to reduce waste?
N: Yep, Of course. We can reduce waste in several ways. For example, instead
of using plastic bottles in our office, we can use reusable bottles. This action can
save our money and reduce waste as well.
L: Well, that’s a nice idea.
N: Moreover, we also need to control our use of paper. It has come to my
attention that there are lots of people in our office that usually go to work with
magazines or newspapers in their hands so far. So I think we should get used to
using tablets or any other technology devices to approach information since
nowadays there are many newspapers that have online versions.
L: Oh, I totally agree with you. Our company's internet connection is very

strong, and I think they can read online newspapers easily.
N: And I'm sure that changing to a “paperless” environment is an effective
practice to reduce the amount of waste in our company. For instance, we can
minimize our use of paper by using paper from recycling bins for notes, etc.
since most people only print on one side, leaving a full side of high quality
white paper.
L: Wow, I believe that our office will perfectly change to a greener environment
soon if we consciously take these practices to action. So in order to create a
motivation for our colleagues to reduce, reuse and recycle, do you think of any
ideas?
N: Hmmm I suggest that within a month, a person that consumes the least
amount of paper in printing or any things, he or she will have an incentive to
perform harder. Maybe a cinema ticket or some kind of vouchers, …
L: Fantastic. It would be great if all of us do this
N: Yeah hihi
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. What do your company or school do to be more environmentally
friendly?
→ In order to be more environmentally friendly, our university has created
Recycling Programs for students about the importance of reusing, reducing, and
recycling. Moreover, every classroom also have plants which can help reduce
dust and carbon dioxide levels while preventing the growth of pollutants
2) Why is it important for companies to be socially responsible?


→ Because this creates goodwill for businesses and can help
increase the company's market share. Businesses that can
easily cash this approach of being a business that takes care of
its customers' liking. In addition, the waste and carbon emissions of
companies also cause negative impacts on the environment. That's why they
have to be responsible for society.

3. Do you think reducing electricity consumption is a good way to reduce costs?
→ Yes, of course. In fact, it is estimated that 75% of the energy
used to power household electronics is consumed when they
are switched off, which can cost you up to $200 per year.
4) Do you agree that in the future, more people will work remotely from home?
→ Yes, I think so. Nowadays many people work from home
because of the covid-19 pandemic, which is convenient and
saves more time for everyone. If the internet becomes faster
and there are more programs, such as Skype, that allow people
to access and work from home more easily, I predict that more
people will stay at home. Especially,

if companies found it

worked for them without a drop in productivity or an increase in
costs then we may see the home as the workplace of the
future.
5. What do you think is the role of an environmental consultant in a large
company?
→ Environmental consultants provide analysis and insight on
environmental concerns for public and private industries;
property acquisition, development and construction; public
works

and

infrastructure;

health

compliance

regulations; sustainability and energy efficiency

and

safety


6. Do you think companies are more or less environmentally responsible now
than they were in the past?
→ For the most part, threats to the environment are becoming
more and more serious, which leads companies, organizations
and individuals to take measures to limit emissions and protect
the environment than in the past. In the past, we did not have
advanced

measures

to

limit

environmental

pollution.

In

contrast, Today with modern machines and equipment, they

have to take more and more responsibility for it.


TOPIC 8
Business and Environment
Next week is Earth Day, and you have been asked by the Head of the office to
plan the activities and preparation for the event.
Discuss the situation together with your colleague and decide:
●
●

what activities should be done before and during the event
how to persuade the whole staff to follow the plan.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------L: Good morning, Ngân
N: Hi, Linh. I heard we have a meeting today. Is it right?
L: Yepp, the Head of the office has asked me to plan the activities and
preparation for Earth Day next week. Today we need to discuss it.
N: OK. which activities should be done before and during the event?
L: First of all, I believe that I need to establish a green team taskforce to make a
plan for the organization of this event. Moreover, I would suggest maintaining
this group for the company as this will help our company to be greener and
more sustainable in the future.
N: That’s a good idea. How do we plan?
L: Before this event, we will invite an expert to talk to our employees about the
environmental problems, how to limit it in our company,…so on, and next
launch an incentive-based recycling program.
N: Well, I am quite interested in your plan. The average employee creates an
enormous amount of waste every month, waste that harms the earth and our
pocket. That sounds great!

L: Yep, haha. We are going to create recycling stations in visible work areas
and assign two staff to make sure other employees follow the rules. Besides
that, We also use an app that passes on knowledge to our employees and links
everyone together.
N: Good job. How can we encourage our staff?
L: Oh, we are going to prepare exciting rewards for our employees that recycle
the most waste. Hihi OK, The floor is yours, ngân. Tell me your ideas to make
this event, please?
N: I think it's fantastic that we have a community Earth Day party at the end of
this day as last year. Right?
L: Yes, it's necessary for it. What new ideas have you got?
N: We will require all of the staff in our company to have some dress-up theme
where everyone creates an item of clothing from recyclable materials. Then, We
will play sustainability-related games (trivia, searches, scavenger hunts, teambuilding).
L: Well done. Then we need to calculate the amount of gifts that we will prepare
in advance.
N: That’s right. we'll be posting the winners on our company's website to
compliment them.
L: I couldn’t agree with you more.
N: I think in order to encourage employees to join this activity, we can explain
what benefit they can get from this event.
L: Hmm what exact benefit do you think of?


N: I can see that every staff in our office is tired of workloads lately, so I
suggest that anyone engaging in this event will be able to get 1 or 2 day off with
pay.
L: Wow, interesting. I bet that everyone would be excited about this.

N: Yeah. I also think of creating many lucky presents in the event to attract our
staff to join this activity.
L: Yeah. Great.
N: are you gonna join this event?
L: Of course, I'm really excited for this.
N: Yeah. Hope to see you there.

1.

Do people in your organization or your university save electricity? How
do they do that?
Yes, our people in my university do save electricity. For example, after
ending the class, they all turn off the electrical appliances such as fans, air
conditioners, etc
2. Do you think recycling is an important community service?
→

I think that not only me but also most people agree

recycling is important because it helps in keeping the
environment clean and fresh, reducing the amount of
waste

produced,

conserving

many

non-renewable

resources, and even improving the air quality for humans.
3. Do you think there are lessons to learn from nature?


Yes, there are lots of things we can learn from nature. In particular,
Nature evolves for the better continuously, so we can also develop and
evolve gradually and continuously like it does.
4. Do farmers face environmental challenges in your country? What are
the challenges?
→ Yes, of course. Farmers must meet the changing needs
of

our

planet

and

the

expectations

of

regulators,

consumers, and food processors and retailers. There are
increasing pressures from climate change, soil erosion and
biodiversity loss and from consumers' changing tastes in

food and concerns about how it is produced.
5. If you could choose one alternative energy source to develop, which
one would you choose? Why?
If I could choose one alternative energy source, I would choose solar
energy. This is because solar energy is a renewable form of energy and
does not cause any environmental pollution like fossil fuels.

6. Are companies more or less environmentally responsible now than they
were in the past? Why do you think that is?
→ For the most part, threats to the environment are
becoming more and more serious, which leads companies,
organizations and individuals to take measures to limit
emissions and protect the environment than in the past. In
the past, we did not have advanced measures to limit
environmental pollution. In contrast, Today with modern


machines and equipment, they have to take more and
more responsibility for it.
7. What can large cities do to improve their air quality?
→ Large cities can improve their air quality by supporting
cleaner modes of transportation, (for example, transit,
biking, and walking), or using their building codes to
change building heating systems to phase out or simply
eliminate significant sources of air pollution (for example,
dirty heating oil)


TOPIC 9
N: Good morning, Linh. How’s it going?

L: Everything’s OK. How are you doing?
N: I’m nice. Oh, Linh. Our company is considering relocating to larger
premises outside the city center. In your opinion, what advantages would
there be in re-locating?
L: For one. I think that we can lower operational costs. Our office rent is
one of the highest overhead expenses for our business now. And now our
company could no longer afford rental costs, the wisest thing to do is
move to a more affordable location.
The rise of outsourcing allowed our company to reduce the number of
individuals on the payroll. With lesser employees comes lesser facilities
and office space used. Thus, to improve productivity and boost morale,
office consolidation seems to be the best solution.
N: Yeah. I see. With our current situation, We have no choice but to move
to a less costly area. What else?
L: I think it will be better to access to Customers, Employees, and
Vendors.
We can attract more customers/clients, vendors, and valuable talents.
Most often, businesses like us transfer to a new place when sales are
down in the existing location. Target demographic could be much more
prominent in another area, so moving is a good way to process our
targets, stock and have better access to a wider pool of talents.


N: Yeah, I agree with you. I can see that many tech companies move to
Texas since there are plenty of universities in the area. Yeah, but there are
still difficulties caused when we relocate our firm anyways. Do you think
of what difficulties we possibly face?
L: Maybe we will be losing our talented staff cuz they have to change to
another living place if the company relocates. And it seems to me that not
everyone will be willing to adapt to a new environment.

N: Absolutely. And our company might have to recruit the staff again,
which is hard to find quality workers and we have to spend more money
to train them.
L: Yeah, I totally agree with you. We may also lose our loyal customers
while we’re not operating.
N: So there are lots of advantages and disadvantages as well when it
comes to changing our firm to another place. I will send these
recommendations concerning this possibility to our boss’ email and wait
for his final decision.
L: Okay. Have a nice day.
N: You too. Enjoy your day.


1.

Have you worked or studied in different locations?
→ I haven’t studied in different locations. I've been living in TDM city
since I was born and I've been studying here. But if I had a chance to
study in different places, I would willingly seize that opportunity.
2. Where would you most like to work or study?
→ Because English Language is my main major and my
job in the future is related to English, I think that I would
choose an English-speaking country such as the US or the
UK.

Uhm, comparing the US and UK – I love the

weather,landscape and culture in the UK the most, so
Whenever I have an opportunity to go abroad, I will go to
England.

3. What disadvantages are there in your place compared to city centre
locations?
→ I live in TDM city which is recognized as an important industrial hub of the
region, so there are not many disadvantages compared to city center locations
except for maybe the salary here is lower, and fewer opportunities for you to
develop your career.
4. What effects does technology have on the design of premises nowadays?
→ One of the major impacts of technology on the design of
premises nowadays is the distance created between the
designer and the architect.


Obviously, the design becomes more and more intuitive, beautiful and
luxurious. Not only that, it also makes the work of designers easier and more
convenient.
5. Do you think globalisation is changing the way companies do business?
Yes, it does affect the way companies do business a lot. It also increases global
competition, which drives prices down and creates a larger variety of choices
for consumers.

6. Do you think moving abroad for a job is always helpful for one’s career?
→ No, I think there are always two sides. For the first side, There are a lot of
benefits when we move abroad for a job such as we have more colleges,
promote our career, get a lot of skills and experience from a partner of a new
college, or new boss, and especially develop English skills when we travel to an
English – speaking country. On the other side, We must leave behind our family,
friends, old colleagues,…. And even we can gain some sock culture and have
some trouble when we try to adapt a lot of new things in the workplace.
7. Do you agree that the opportunities gained by working or studying
abroad are much better than staying in your own country?

→ Yes, I agree with this opinion. Studying or working abroad helps you to learn
new languages, appreciate other cultures, overcome challenges of living in
another country and gain a greater understanding of the world. These are all
things that modern businesses look for when hiring, and such traits will only
become more important in the future


TOPIC 10
Relocation
You want to spend the last two years of your university learning in a foreign
country as a student of

“transnational education program” and you have

decided the country to go to, yet your parents don’t approve. Persuade your
parents that you have reasons to decide that.
Discuss the situation with your friend and decide:
1.

what should be prepared

2.

what difficulties you are aware of ahead

3.

parents’ reaction towards this decision

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------N: Hi, Linh. How’s it going?

L: Good morning Ngan. I’m so so. How about you?
N: I’m great. I heard that You are going to spend the last two years of your
university studying in a foreign country as a student of a

“transnational

education program”. Is that right?
L: Yes, I have considered it for a long time.
N: oh, well done. Congratulations to you. And what should be prepared before
you travel there?
L: There are many things to prepare for this trip. For one, I need to check visa
requirements.


N: Oh, Visas often take several weeks to be finished and may take a while to fill
out, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get one.
L: That’s right. It’s also important to make sure that my passport is up to date
and will not expire while I’ve come here.
N: I couldn’t agree with you more. So I think you should check this again
before your departure date as it usually takes a few weeks for a new passport to
arrive.
L: Yepp, I will always remember this. Hihi.
N: What’s about your accommodation?
L: Oh, my accommodation will be arranged by my university’s manager in
London.
N: Well, that sounds interesting and safe.
L: Haha. All right. Maybe I should research my destination because it is a whole
new country to me and maybe I can have some cultural shock. I am looking up
the main things to see there, research the best local restaurants and see if there
are any day trips or weekend trips I can take to maximize my time.

N: Well, That’s a good thing to do. You know, I saw lots of people have trouble
when they travel to a brand new country which they’ve never been to before.
Another little thing that could come in handy is learning some common phrases
in the local language. Having some commonly used phrases in your arsenal can
help to make communication with the locals much easier.
L: Oh, Sounds great. I will do it.


N: So, what difficulties are you aware of ahead?
L: Overcoming the language barrier is probably the most obvious challenge of
studying abroad. Although my major is the English Language, I'm unable to
understand the strong local accent.
N: Yepp, This is the reason why I have just told you to learn some common
phrases
L: That’s right. I remembered clearly what you said. Hihi. And I think I will be
homesick a lot.
N: oh, my friend. I see. You need to try your best. You can do it. Hmm speaking
of your parents, What are their reactions to this decision?
L: Oh, I decided to go to England to learn, but my parents didn't approve at first.
N: Really? OMG. How come? I think this is a good opportunity for you.
L: Yes, The story is when they hear my decision, they are very happy and proud
of me. But then, My parents are extremely worried about me because I am a girl
and don’t have any familiar people to take care of me. That is the reason why
they didn't agree when I mentioned this problem.
N: Yeah, I see. I think they just wanna be next to you and take care of you
carefully. However you are grown up, it’s better for you to gain more
experience. So I think you should go and convince your parents again.
L: Yepp I know. I’m thinking of it.

N: So is there anything popping up in your mind? I mean what should you do to
convince your parents?
L: For the most part, I will talk about my academic advantages in London.
Studying here will widen my perspective regarding new teaching styles, and of
course develop my English skills. The faculties at my international university
are experts in their fields and they possibly offer me the best guidance that I
wouldn't get in our home country. Moreover, I can be a part of various student
associations and programs at my university abroad.
N: Good job. Not only your parents but also I'd feel really happy for your study
abroad decision. kkkk
L: And, The most important thing, I should make sure that I will be safe when I
stay there. I am serious about my academic work and will take control of my
life. In addition, I also provide my parents with the contact details of the
international office at my prospective university.
N: Well done. I think that you should be in touch with them regularly because it
helps them follow your life and your study. Nothing matters more to your
parents than your well-being. If you're serious enough and take the right steps to
fulfill your dream of studying abroad, your parents would definitely agree and
support you to do it.
L: Oh, my honey. Thank you for your advice.
N: OK. Good luck! Hope for your good news! See you later.
L: For sure. See you.


FOLLOW-ON QUESTIONS
1. Do you agree that it is hard to leave someone’s homeland to move to a new
place?
→ Yes, of course. We must face a number of similar cultural adaptation
challenges when adjusting to life in a foreign country. These challenges might
include things like locating ideal housing, building new relationships, and

communicating in a foreign language … while trying to succeed personally and
professionally.

2. Apart from family and friends, what do you think people would most miss
from their country?
→ When leaving our country for a job or study, I think people
will miss the taste of their hometown food. For example,
Vietnam is famous for its noodle soup and some kinds of
traditional cakes which barely cannot be replaced anywhere, so
it’s really hard for one to find their right taste when living in
foreign countries.
3. Do you think discrimination exist? Give an example.
→ I say “yes” because the gender discrimination still exists in many areas in
which girls can not receive impartial education resources like boys. For
example, Most of the approximately 6 million children not in school in India are
girls. ... In 2011, the disparity in access to education between genders was most
visible in India's childhood literacy rates – 82% of boys were literate while only
65% of girls could read and write.


4. Do you agree that the opportunities gained by working or studying abroad are
much better than staying in your own country?
→ Yes, I agree with this opinion. Studying or working abroad
helps you to learn new languages, appreciate other cultures,
overcome challenges of living in another country and gain a
greater understanding of the world. These are all things that
modern businesses look for when hiring, and such traits will
only become more important in the future
5. Do you think moving abroad for a job is always helpful for one’s career?
→ No, I think there are always two sides. For the first side, There are a lot of

benefits when we move abroad for a job such as we have more colleges,
promote our career, get a lot of skills and experience from a partner of a new
college, or new boss, and especially develop English skills when we travel to an
English – speaking country. On the other side, We must leave behind our family,
friends, old colleagues,…. And even we can have some sock culture and some
trouble when we try to adapt a lot of new things in the workplace.
6. Do you know anyone who has the opportunity to work abroad for their
company’s office worldwide?
→ I gotta say no because I'm a student who is currently
studying at university and do not have a close relationship with
many people working outside, so I don't know anyone. But I
think working abroad for the company’s office worldwide is not
a bad idea, so anyone who has that opportunity must be so
lucky.


7. Do you think people from international networks coming to work in Vietnam
will find it easy to adapt?
→ From my view, I believe “yes”. Each country will have
different cultures, so I think foreigners will have a lot of cultural
shock coming to Vietnam. Those shocks can be traffic culture
(traffic jams, ...), food culture, language, prices, ways of talking,
... can make them feel strange and difficult to adapt., even
compared to other countries they've been to.


TOPIC 11
N:

Hello, Linh. How’s it going?

L: Hi, Ngan. I’m quite nervous. How about you?
N: I;m OK. What's wrong with you?
L: I have been asked to give advice on what type of organization would make an
ideal partner for our university and Now i have to plan for this with you.
N: Yeah, I see. how would we find these organizations?
L: We can find these ideal businesses in several ways:
For one, we will organize or participate in business cooperation sessions and
evaluate and select companies that we see as potential to work with.
N: How do we know the company has potential for us to work with?
L: Of course, we will research about the origin, culture, quality through the
assessment of how that company can be suitable for the professions that we are
training or not.
N: Uhm, I agree with you. Each company will have a lot of their own
advantages. What factors do we need to bear in mind?
L: When choosing an ideal business partnership, I think we should consider
their reputation first. We absolutely don’t want to be connected with a company
that has had some shady dealings in the past as your reputation will be tarred
with the same brush.
N: In this case, we can search google or check out their profile on LinkedIn and
browse their Facebook pages for more of an idea about how they are regarded
online.
L: Yeah, what else would you think of?


N: Hmm Next we need some form of common ground and we can start by
looking at their values. Whether they align with us or not If we can’t find any
overlap then the partnership will not be balanced.
L: Ohh yeah, that’s right. I couldn’t agree with you more
N: Ok so these are things we have just discussed together. I'm gonna brief these

notes and send them to our boss.
L: Alright. We’ve been working so hard hâha
N. Yeah, enjoy your day.
L: Bye, see you tomorrow


1. Why do you think companies decide to work together?
In my opinion, When companies work together, they can gain a competitive
advantage over other businesses in the same field. There’re many companies
have found that benefits substantially outweigh the costs when they work
together
2. Do you think it is more beneficial or helpful to work as a team?
→ Yes, of course. Because we can cooperate, listen, and discuss
the points of contract or work easily. We can also realize the
pros and cons of partners, and give advice or study to develop
skills for each other.
3. What advantages and disadvantages could working together have?
Working together can create synergy which helps companies to increase profits
and run their business more efficiently. But there are still some disadvantages,
they can be encountered some problems regarding poor communication due to
not having a common language in some cases, or regulatory approval issues, etc

4. If a business is looking into a partnership, what do you think they will need to
consider? What might they feel is important and why?
→ I believe that they will find someone reliable, seek out
complementary personality traits, prioritize compatibility in
terms of business trajectory and partner with someone who
matches their level of obsession.
So, I think that they consider Prioritize compatibility in terms of
business trajectory is the most important since Not only will an incompatible

vision create trouble when it comes to decide on our business’s direction, but it
will also make it difficult to weather hard times. If we can find a business
partner with whom we are compatible will make it possible for us to work
together to overcome the challenges that crop up during the process of starting
and running our business