UNIT 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF WORK

Skills Focus

• Listening
• Speaking
 2.1 VOCABULARY The organization of work
A. Match the words and phrases (1-10) with their definitions (a-j).
1. headquarters e a) a shop that sells goods made by a particular company or of a particular type
b) the part of a company that sells the company’s products or services in a particular area
2. plant j c) a building where large quantities of goods are stored before they are sold, used, or sent
3. outlet a out to shops
d) an office in which employees provide information to its customers or sell or advertise
4. subsidiary g its products/services by phone
5. warehouse c e) the main office or main building of an organization
f) human resources – the department in a company that is in charge of employees
6. administration i g) a company that is owned or controlled by another company
7. sales office b h) research and development – the part of a business that develops new products or
improves existing ones
8. R&D h i) the part of a business that manages or organizes its activities
9. call center d j) a factory or a big building in which products are made or power is produced (using
machinery)
10. HR f
B. Complete these sentences using the words and phrases in exercise A. Make changes where necessary.
1. The new tax framework is an attempt to make our country a more attractive location for companyheadquarters
……………….
HR
2. …………………. department focuses on dealing with employees, for example, recruiting them, training them,
dealing with their problems, and managing their records.
sales offices cover the various regions of France with international offices in Frankfurt, Milan, and
3. Three ………………….
Madrid.
subsidiary of Phuc Long Coffee and Tea.
4. Masan is an 80%-owned………………….
R&D
5. …………………. allows a company to stay ahead of its competition by catering to new wants or needs in the
market.
outlets
6. Zara is one of the biggest clothing retail chains that has 152 …………………. around the world.
call center often handles customer inquiries and provides support services around the clock.
7. The ………………….
plant
8. Our company’s ………………. is well known for producing high-quality automobiles with the latest technology.
C. Match a noun from Column A with a noun from Column B to complete each of the following sentences.
recruitment procedure involves initial screening, interviews,
1. The ………………….…………………. Column A

and assessment tests to ensure the selection of highly qualified candidates. recruitment
company policy
2. Our company should review the ………………….…………………. because warehouse

many employees are using personal devices and doing personal tasks during customer

working hours. management

warehouse manager
3. We should recruit a new ………………….…………………. who is company

responsible for overseeing the safety policies and ensuring timely deliveries. Column B

4. To build good customer relationships, we should have the support

customer support
……………………………….……. team that is available 24/7 to address any style

urgent issues and concerns of customers. manager

management style
5. Our CEO is well known for his ………………….…………………. of policy

empowerment and delegation, letting employees take the initiative in their work. procedure
D. Discussion
Work in pairs. Make a list of adjectives to describe good qualities and bad qualities of an organization.
 Good Qualities:
• Leadership: visionary, inspiring, ethical, transparent, decisive
• Culture: inclusive, collaborative, supportive, innovative,
adaptable
• Employees: engaged, empowered, skilled, diverse, passionate
• Operations: efficient, effective, streamlined, data-driven, agile
• Products/Services: high-quality, reliable, innovative, customer-
centric, sustainable
• Performance: profitable, successful, growing, market-leading,
socially responsible
 Bad Qualities:
• Leadership: toxic, unethical, lacking vision, indecisive
• Culture: siloed, unsupportive, discriminatory, stagnant, hierarchical
• Employees: disengaged, unmotivated, unskilled, unethical,
uncollaborative
• Operations: inefficient, wasteful, bureaucratic, outdated, inflexible
• Products/Services: low-quality, unreliable, outdated, uncompetitive,
unethical
• Performance: unprofitable, struggling, shrinking, irresponsible
 2.2 LISTENING Listening for gist  Listening for details

PRE-LISTENING
A. Lead-in question
What would your ideal workplace be like?
 An ideal workplace
Company Culture:
• Supportive and Collaborative: Encourages teamwork, open
communication, and professional growth.
• Inclusive and Diverse: Welcomes different perspectives and
backgrounds, fostering a sense of belonging.
• Empowering and Respectful: Trusts employees to do their
jobs, providing autonomy and valuing their contributions.
• Work-Life Balance: Promotes a healthy balance between
personal and professional lives.
 An ideal workplace
Work Environment:
• Flexible and Adaptable: Offers flexible work arrangements
(remote, hybrid) and adapts to changing needs.
• Well-equipped: Provides the necessary tools and resources for
efficient and comfortable work.
• Positive and Stimulating: Offers a comfortable and inspiring
workspace that promotes creativity and well-being.
 An ideal workplace
Employee Well-being:
• Competitive Compensation and Benefits: Offers fair compensation,
healthcare, and other benefits to support employee well-being.
• Opportunities for Growth and Development: Provides training,
mentorship, and career development opportunities for employees to
learn and advance.
• Recognition and Appreciation: Recognizes and appreciates employee
contributions, fostering a sense of accomplishment and value.
• Open Communication and Transparency: Maintains open communication
channels and transparent leadership, building trust and fostering
employee engagement.
 2.2 LISTENING Listening for gist  Listening for details

B. Match the words and phrases (1-5) with their definitions (a-e).
1. director
C a) to voluntarily leave a job or position
2. CEO b) Chief Operating Officer: the manager in an organization who is responsible for
D day-to-day operations
3. COO
B c) one of the managers in charge of an activity, department, or an organization
4. parent company d) Chief Executive Officer: the highest ranked position in a company; the main
E person responsible for leading a company and providing overall direction
5. resign
A e) a company that controls other subsidiary companies
 Voc:
• solid understanding (n)
• supervision (n) supervise (v) supervisor (n)
• dedicated to (adj)
Ex: She is dedicated to her job.
• cutting-edge solution (n)
• product package (n)
WHILE-LISTENING
A. Listen to a recorded message about an internship position. Complete each gap with ONE or TWO words.

Developer Intern
Position: Technology (1) ………………..
Responsibilities: Work with a team of (2)professionals initiatives
……………….., collab on exciting (3) ………………..
Requirements:
last-year student studying a related university degree
• A (4) ………………..
concepts and proficiency in more than one
• An understanding of programming (5) ………………..
programming (6) languages
………………..
• Other skills: communication, (7)interpersonal
……………….., organizational, and time-management skills.
Benefits:
allowance
• A monthly (8) ………………..
projects
• Hands-on experience working on meaningful (9) ………………..
• Potential career development
Applications:
• Résumé
Cover letter
• (10) ………………..
• Relevant portfolio or project work
B. Listen to an internal presentation about an organizational structure. Complete each gap (1-14) with
ONE or TWO words.

1. COO 10. web

developer
2. Director
3. officers 11. support
engineers
4. Business
12. research
5. PR
scientists
6. salesmen
13. technical
7. Manager writer
8. accountants 14. software
9. Manager engineers
C. Listen again and answer these questions.
1. Why is the organizational structure simple now?
Because ABC is just a small company, the organization is simple.
2. When was ABC Technologies founded?
The company was founded in 2005.
3. What is the difference between the roles of the CEO and the COO at ABC?
Larry Warner – the CEO, deals with strategy and is often away at the parent company in
Singapore. David Chang – the COO, runs the business on a day-to-day basis.
4. When did Roxanne Kent join ABC? What happened to her predecessor?
Roxanne joined four months ago when the old IT manager resigned.
5. What is Evelyn’s responsibility?
She’s responsible for building our product package.
D. Match expressions in Column A with Column B to complete ways of describing responsibilities.

Column A Column B
1. He has a team of four reporting a) after finance.
2. We have Eliza Cotton – our Office Manager, who takes b) with strategy.
3. She also looks c) directly to him.
4. Larry deals d) for building our product package.
5. She’s responsible e) care of HR.

1c 2e 3a 4b 5d
POST-LISTENING
Complete the text with words in the box.
résumé portfolio university degree
cover letter interpersonal monthly allowance

Preparing for internship applications requires several important steps. First, ensure that you have a solid foundation
university degree
with a relevant (1) ……………….. that aligns with the internship position you are seeking. Next, focus on
enhancing your (2) interpersonal
……………….. skills, as they are crucial in the professional world. A well-crafted (3)
résumé highlighting your academic achievements, relevant experiences, and skills is essential to grab the
………………..
cover letter tailored to each application can showcase your
attention of employers. Additionally, a detailed (4) ………………..
portfolio of your
motivation and demonstrate why you are the right fit for the internship. Building a (5) ………………..
previous work or projects can also provide clear evidence of your abilities and creativity. Lastly, consider the
monthly allowance
financial aspect and inquire about the (6) ……………….. or compensation offered during the internship. By paying
attention to these key elements, you can increase your chances of securing a valuable internship opportunity.
 2.3 SPEAKING Socializing
LEAD-IN
A. Listen to four conversations. Choose the correct description for each one.

Conversation a) Greeting someone and talking about the weather

1
a
Conversation b) Introducing another person
2 d
Conversation c) Introducing yourself and giving information about
3 c your company

Conversation d) Greeting someone and talking about changes

4 b
B. Listen to Conversation 1 and Conversation 2 again and complete the extracts.
Conversation 1
How
J: Good morning! (1) ………… are you
………… today…………?
…………
R: Good morning! I’m doing well, thank you. How about you?
I’m doing
J: (2) ………… ………… great
………… . Have you noticed how lovely the weather is today?
R: Absolutely! It’s such a beautiful day. The (3) ………… clear
………… sky…………
and gentle
………… wind
………… really make it enjoyable.
J: I completely agree. It puts everyone in a good mood and makes the workday more enjoyable.
R: Definitely. It’s a great way to start the day and brings positive energy to the office. Plus, it’s a refreshing change from the
recent rainy days we’ve had.
productivity
J: Absolutely. I find that a good weather day like this can boost (4) ………… …………and motivation
………… . It’s easier to stay (5)
focused
………… and engaged
………… ………… when the atmosphere is so pleasant.
R: Well, I hope the weather stays this way for the rest of the week. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. (6) …………
………… ………… …………!
Have a productive day
J: Thank you! You are too. Let’s make the most of this beautiful day. Take care!
Conversation 2
M: Hey, Anthony! It’s great to see you again.
How
A: Hi, Maria. (1) ………… have…………
………… you been
…………?
M: I’m doing well, thanks. It feels like ages since we last met. Wasn’t it at that trade show in Paris?
A: Yes, you’re right. (2) ………… It’s
………… been…………
a while………… . So, how have things been going for you?
I’m…………
M: Things have been going well. I made a change last year and now (3) ………… working…………
in finance
………… . I really enjoy
the new role.
Congratulations
A: That’s good to hear. (4) ………… ………… ………… on the………….
transition
. By the way, I got promoted last year. I’m now the Head
of Human Resources, leading a team of 50 people.
M: Wow, that’s fantastic! You’ve made significant progress in your career.
responsibilities
A: Thank you. I’m excited about the new (5) ………… ………… …………. and challenges
.
M: Speaking of exciting news, guess what? I finally passed my driving test! It took me three attempts, but I did it.
Congratulations
A: Really? That’s amazing! (6) ………… ………… ………… on getting
………… your license
…………. .
C. Listen to Conversation 3 again and complete the chart.
Name Company’s name Main activities
Chris an outsourcing business providing companies and
Booz & Co
organizations with a wide range of services, including IT,
office equipment, travel, and even cleaning services
Katherine ACB market research

D. Listen to Conversation 4 again and answer these questions.

1. Tick the expression you hear from the recording.
I’d like to introduce you to Nina. √ Nice to see you again.
I’m in Marketing now. Pleasure to meet you too. √
Can I introduce you to Nina? I’m sure we’ll have some great conversations. √
2. Which language is Nina fluent in?
a) English b) Spanish c) French √ d) Chinese

a) swimming b) playing golf √ c) playing tennis d) sailing

3. What interest do Charles and Nina share?
 2.5 WORD BANK

 advancement (n) /ədˈ

vænsmənt/ the development or improvement of something
 allowance (n) /əˈ
laʊəns/ money that is given regularly by an employer to pay for a
particular thing
 coordinate (v) /kəʊˈ
ɔːrdɪneɪt/ to organize all the different activities and people who are
involved in something so that it works effectively
 cover letter (n) /ˈ
kʌvər letər/ a letter that you send with something explaining the
contents of the document, etc. that you are sending
 cutting-edge (adj) /ˌ
kʌt̬ .ɪŋˈ
edʒ/ very modern and with all the newest features
 hands-on (adj) /ˌ
hændz ˈ
ɑːn/ directly involved in making decisions about the way in
which things should be done
 initiative (n) /ɪˈ
nɪʃətɪv/ a new plan or action to improve something or solve a problem
 internship (n) /ˈ
ɪntɜːrnʃɪp/ a period during which someone works for a company or
organization to get experience in a particular type of work
 interpersonal (adj) /ˌ
ɪntərˈ
pɜːrsənl/ connected with relationships between people
 portfolio (n) /pɔːrtˈ
fəʊliəʊ/ a collection of drawings, documents, etc. that represent a
person's, especially an artist's, work
 predecessor (n) /ˈ
priːdəsesə(r)/ a person who did a job before somebody else
 proficiency (n) /prəˈ
fɪʃnsi/ great skill, ability, and experience
 recruitment (n) /rɪˈ
kruːtmənt/ the process of employing new people to work for an
organization
 technical (adj) /ˈ
teknɪkl/ relating to the knowledge used in a particular subject or type
of work