The stages of development of comparative literature

BUSINESS GLOSSARY

British Commercial Attache – Mr. Anthony Newton

the Export Manager of Royce-Lytton Foods – John Rutherford

Sheikh Sayid – a Kuwaiti businessman

KTC – the Kuwait Trading Company

Hadleigh – a town in Suffolk

Suffolk – a county in Eastern England

Islamic Law – Sharia – a system of laws followed be Muslims

the Gulf –

poultry products – chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese

to clinch a deal – make an agreement

to get a commitment from smb – a responsibility or promise to follow certain beliefs or a certain

course of action

a tied up deal – a clinched deal

at a different pace – speed in walking, running

Constable – an English artist

Sudbury –

to put one’s shoulders to the wheel – (metaphor) to work hard

a small talk –

to force the pace – to make smth move faster than normal

a hatchery – инкубатор

to jump the gun – (metaphor) to begin a race before the starting signal, to begin prematurely; act

too soon, before the appropriate time

to be slaughtered – slaughter – to kill animals for food

on that score – in that respect

the matter could be cleared out of the way – there won’t be that matter any longer

GROUNDWORK

Phase One

1.1. Watch scene 1 for the following information.

· Where does it take place?

· Give the names of two people mentioned.

· In the photo, how does the character on the right feel?

· What advice does the character on the left give him?

1.2. Discussion

If you had to advise an English business person travelling to the Middle East for the first time on business, what would you say about:

• how to behave in a business meeting?

• social manners?

What problems do you foresee?

1.3. Watch Scene 2 up to the point where the meeting is interrupted by a phone call.

· Did any of the problems you predicted occur?

· Were there any other problems?

1.4. In this sequence Rutherford twice signals his sense of frustration to Sheikh Sayid.
Write down the two phrases he uses.

…

…

Phase Two

2.1. Try to improve on Rutherford's performance. Rewrite his first dialogue with the Sheikh to show greater intercultural understanding.

NUTS & BOLTS

Phase One

1.1. Watch Scene 2 to complete this entry for Royce-Lytton Foods in World Corooration Profiles.

Corporate Headquarters Oulton Industrial Estate _____________ ______________HPS KTL,

Great Britain.

Management Managing Director: Stephen Jones Company Secretary: David Weeks

Finance Manager: Frederick Murray Export Sales Manager: ________ _________

Major Activities Royce Lytton Foods __________ all kinds of __________ __________ ________

and are based in ______________ close to the port of Ipswich on the __________

side of _______________ . Established ________ __________ ago. Royce-Lytton

distribute their products to all parts of continental _____________ where they have

been exporting for over ____________ _______________.

Phase Two

2.1. Character Match the characteristics with the person: some words may refer to both Rutherford and Sayid, others to neither. Be prepared to justify your answers with examples from the video.

impatient cultured polite task-oriented superficial person-oriented businesslike sociable cold disrespectful disorganized formal

stiff direct brusque cautious slow insensitive rude frustrated time-wasting familiar impersonal flattering

2.2 Word study

Put the adjectives in 2.1 in the appropriate columns below. Indicate any pairs which are opposites (≠) or similar (=) in meaning.

Phase Three

3.1 Knowing our business contact's language, and the customs and manners of their country all help us to communicate better. It is also useful to know something of the cultural background of their country. What examples of this kind of intercultural understanding can you quote from scene 2?

3.2 Imagine you are advising Rutherford. In your opinion what would be the best way to react to the following situations. Give the exact words you would use.

Sayid tells you that his company has many business interests all over the gulf, including property, hotels, etc.

You:..........................................................................................................

Sayid tells you his company owns the hotel you are staying in and has changed your room to a more comfortable one.

You:..........................................................................................................

Sayid tells you he is interested in a joint venture to set up poultry production in the Middle East. You wanted to start off initially by exporting your products to the region.

You:..........................................................................................................

FOLLOW UP

Phase One

1.1. Vocabulary building As he has to stay longer than expected in Kuwait, Rutherford faxes home to explain the delay. Complete the fax using words and expressions from the box below.

		going rush pace production tied up clinch get hatchery force jump the gun getting on cautious commitment small stood frustrated

You are probably wondering how I'm ___________ ____________. I'm sorry not to have contacted you, but things move at a different ____________ here, and although I was hoping to get a deal _________ __________ quickly, it has taken much longer than I expected.

For the first few days I felt totally ______________. I didn't know what was ____________ on, nor where I ________________. I couldn't seem to get a _______________ from anyone, and, in fact it took me virtually a whole day just to _________________ to see Sheikh Sayid.

Having been advised not to _______________ the pace, I have been quite ________________ with KTC. So you can imagine my surprise when Sayid told me he wanted to set up a ______________ and ________________ facilities with us here. Not wanting to ____________ ____________ ______________, I am hoping to ______________ a more modest deal with KTC initially, and have told Sayid that Royce-Lytton would not want to...................................... ______________ into anything. After so much ________________ talk and beating about the bush, I am surprised to have achieved anything at all, but am hopeful I shall be able to report to you with details of an initial order by tomorrow morning.

Hope to see you soon.

Regards-JR

PAY OFF

Phase One

1.1 Using information in the video and your own personal experience and knowledge, make brief notes comparing Arab and British cultures under any of the following headings. Discuss these as a group to build up a cultural sketch of the Arabs and the British.

1 VERBAL AND NON VERBAL LANGUAGE

1 appropriate dress for business

2 greetings/use of titles/importance of status

3 acceptability of physical contact/eye contact

4 importance of praise/flattery

5 meaning of 'yes' and 'no'

6 acceptability of silence

7 Any taboos?

2 ATTITUDE TO TIME AND SPACE

1 task or person-oriented in business

2 attitude to punctuality, and deadlines

3 importance of fast decision making

4 importance of personal privacy

5 use of office space according to status acceptable physical distance between people discussing business

3 EXCHANGING INFORMATION / TAKING DECISIONS

1 Can business be mixed with social activities?

2 Who takes the decisions in a firm?

3 How should bosses behave towards their subordinates?

4 Is confrontation/disagreement acceptable?

5 Is it important to be able to speak well to influence a decision?

6 When bargaining, how far is the starting price from the acceptable price?

7 Can meetings include technicians together with higher ranking managers?

8 How are meetings conducted: formal / informal, discussion, exchange of information, argument, confrontation, decisions?

The stages of development of comparative literature

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 1657