bec中级 商务知识 第 3 讲 讲义

1、【BEC-V-3.1 商务背景课文学习-资金链难题】The cash flow gapSieve and Sue Quick own Quick Computers, a small computer company inAtlanta. The company builds andtalls office computer systems and employstwo people.BackgroundWhen a customer places an order, Steve charges 10 per cent of the total salesprice as down payme

2、nt. The customer is then billed for the remainder after thesystem has beentalled. The total sales price of a small office computernetwork is $10,000. The components are priced at $4,000 and come from onesupplier. This supplier offers a 2 per cent discount if Steve pays for thesuppliesno later than 1

3、0 days after receiving them. Steve always takes advantage ofearly settlement discounts.The problemOn day 1 Steve receives the $1,000 down payment and orders the parts. Repaysfor these on day 7 ($4,000 less 2 per cent early settlement discount = $3,920).The system is ready fortallation by day 28 and

4、Steve calculates directlabour costs of $2,700. As he pays his employees every two weeks, thesewages are paid on days 14 ($1,200) and 28 ($1,500). A week later, on day 35,the system istalled, with further labour costs of $300. The customer is thenbilled and given credit terms of 30 days. Finally, on

5、day 65, Steve receives theoutstanding balance of $9,000.The cash flow gap opens on day 7 when Steve pays for the supplies; it widensto $5,920 by day 35. This means he has to finance, and possibly pay interest on,the $5,920 for 30 days until the customer pays the final $9,000.The more we sell, the le

6、ss cash we have. Steve Quick【BEC-V-3.2背景课文词汇语法练习】Reading2 Read the case study on the opposite page about a computer business owned by Steve and Sue Quick. Answer the following questions.1 How much money does Steve receive when he takes the order?2 How much does the system cost to build andtall?3 Whe

7、n does he receive final payment?Now summarise Quick Computers problem.3DothesewordsrefertoinflowsoroutflowsintheQuickComputers case study?down paymenttotal sales priceearly settlement discountlabour costswagesoutstanding balanceto financeinterestListening3Barbara discusses the cash flow problem with

8、 Steve and Sue. Listen to their discussion. What are their attitudes to early settlement discounts?4Listen again and answer the following questions.1 How does Barbara describe the problem?2 How many customers would be interested in a 1 % early settlement discount? 3 Why doesnt Steve want to offer di

9、scounts?4 What is the companys average monthly turnover?5 What does Steve forget to include in his calculations?6 How much extra would the 1 % discount really cost the company? 7 How would a 2% discount improve Steves cash flow?8 What action do Steve and Sue decide to take?Complete the text with the

10、 following phrases.3We offer our customers a range of credit terms. Normally, when we sell a product we ask for a (1) of 10% of the total sales price. The (2) is then due when the customer takes delivery of the finished product. We normally offer (3) with an (4) of 1% if the customer pays withinthe

11、first 10 days. For customers that pay late we add (5) . If theyregularly pay late, then weist on (6) 30 days netearly settlement discount penalty chargescash on delivery down payment outstanding balance【BEC-V-3.3 段落搭配题型历年考试经典练习】1 the need for retail staff to stay informed about the mobile phones the

12、y are selling 2 the belief that the market will not sustain the present number of mobile phone retailers3 the use of mobile phones no longer being restricted to a specific group of people 4 the relationship between charges and the number of mobile phone users5 a negative view of competing mobile pho

13、ne retailers6 a comparison between change in the mobile phone industry and that in a different sector7 those services available at mobile phone outlets that are not provided by other retailersA.B.C.When I first started in the industry, mobile phones were retailing at a thousand pounds and were as la

14、rge as box files. Now, prices are constantly being driven down and handsets are considerably more compact. There is intense competition between the network providers, and every time they lower their tariffs, more people come into the market. This will continue, and while retail dealers profits will

15、be affected dramatically, network providers will have to generate more revenue by offering internet provisionand data services to the mobile user.Market awareness of the mobile telephone has exploded and the retailer who specializes in mobile phones is seeing growth like never before.Admittedly, som

16、e customers buy their first mobile phone in the supermarket, but for advice, add-ons and particular services they turn to the specialist. There are a large number of mobile phone retailers and I cant help but feel the market only has room for four players. Undoubtedly, customer service is the factor

17、 that differentiates operators and I think thisyear we will probably see rationalisation in the sector.D.The mobile phone business is behaving like the internet industry in take-up and the pace of innovation, and its important not to be left behind. We must continue to innovate in delivering the pro

18、duct to the customer. In terms of service provision, you can draw comparisons between us and our closest rival, but clearly all the main mobile phone retailers have succeeded in taking the industry forward. Growth has accelerated rapidly and the mobile telephone has changed from simply being a usine

19、ss tool, to being ameans of communication for everyone.Over a few years, prices have dropped sharply and technological advances have meant products have changed and are changing. Successful retailers must try to keep on top of these developments and invest in the training of employees so they are ab

20、le to offer impartial advice to customers.E-commerce is taking off but this wont necessarily replace traditional retail outlets. In order to stand out, you need innovative ideas on customer service. We dont believe in criticising other retailers, but theres nothingparticularly exciting out there at

21、present.【BEC-V-3.4 短文改错题型介绍】Market Research0Market research involves in collecting and sorting facts and opinions from specific groups 00of people. The purpose of research can vary from discovering the popularity of a political34 party to assessing whether is a product needs changing or replacing. M

22、ost work in35 consumer research involves interviewers employed by market research agencies, but36 certain industrial and social research is carried out by any specialist agencies. Interviews37 may be with individuals or groups and can last anything as from a few minutes to an hour or38 more.ome inte

23、rviews, people may be asked to examine or try out products before39 giving up their opinion. Successful interviewers tend to like meeting people and should not40 only be shy of addressing strangers. Interviewers are usually expected to work41 unsupervised, organising their own workload. Self-discipl

24、ine is absolutely essential, and42 as are motivation and energy. There are no specific age limits for such a work, though43 many agencies prefer to employ older applicants with experience of meeting people.44 Market research agencies which frequently organise training, where trainees learn how to45

25、recognise socio-economic groups and practise approaching to the public. For information on market research training and qualifications, contact the Market Research Association.【BEC-V-3.5 短文改错题型精讲】Example:0THAT00CORRECTThe cost of not training0Training is not a cost. Its an investment, It really does

26、nt matter that what we pay 00for an investment. What is relevant is what we get in return. One of the easiest34 ways is to put an organisations future at risk would be to view training primarily as a35 cost, and therefore provide with substandard training that operates only as a36 temporary solution

27、. Many companies attempt to quantify the results of training. For37 example, a person paid $50,000 a year who wastes just one hour a day costs the38 organisation between $6,250 per year. So if the organisation sends 25 people for39 training and they all receive the same benefit, this would equal fro

28、m $156,25040 savings per year.Afew years ago, training, apart from showing employees41 what the basics of doing the job, was an optional extra for most organisations.42 Today this is no longer the case. If we continue doing what we do in the same way,43 most of us and our organisations will become o

29、bsolete within the five years. This is44 because of our competitors are helping their staff to become more effective through45 training. They understand that if the real price of not training is the company falling behind as aresult.Questions 3445 Read the text below about customer loyalty.z In most

30、 of the lines 34-45, there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the sense of the text. Some lines, however, are correct.z If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.z If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTE

31、RS on yourIncreasing Customer Loyalty0 Customers are not revolutionaries. They are attracted to the certainty of knowing that00 what they buy it will be good value for money or will perform a particular task effectively, 34 They are cautious but their loyalty, without once achieved, is the key to bu

32、siness success. 35 Brands can help to create customer loyalty by providing us a signpost to certainty and36 safety. Ideally, when a customer sees a product, it leads to a range of positive thoughts 37 so that the product is bought. Unfortunately, only a small number of products have38 reached to thi

33、s level. While everyone in business is aware of the need to attract and 39 retain customers, that they often overlook the second, more important, half of the 40 equation. In the excitement of beating aga t the competition and securing orders, 41 managers often fail to ensure that the customer rema a

34、 customer. It has been42 estimated that since the average company loses between 10 and 30% of its customers 43 every year and this only recently have organisations started to wake up to these lost44 opportunities and to calculate the financial implications. Established customers often buy 45 lot mor

35、e and, and in addition, they may also provide free word-of-mouth advertising.Example:0CORRECT 00ITQuestions 34-45 Read the text below about delegating.In most of the lines (34-45) there is one extra word. It is either grammaticallyincorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines

36、, however, are correct.lf a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.lf there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet.THE ART OF DELEGATION0Are you one of those people who doesnt trust anyone else to do what needs to be 00done? Some manag

37、ers they cant bear anyone else to help them in any way. They34 dont believe that anyone can do such a job as well as they can. It is not surprising35 that they then get overwhelmed by work and complain that they have far too much36 to do, but it could be argued that it is by their own fault. If they

38、 learnt to delegate,37 they would have much more time available. Besides the saving time and freeing38 them to concentrate on tasks that are important, delegating also benefits to the39 company. If managers delegate effectively, their staff will become more skilled and40 committed.Asking staff to ta

39、ke those decisions improves their efficiency and41 morale. This will contribute it not only to the success of the team, but to the success42 of the company as a whole. More importantly, it will also show how good that a43 persons managerial skills are, which is useful when candidates are considered for44 promotion. Trusting other people to do a job properly and in providing them with the45 opportunity to do so is therefore an essential management skill in all the workpla