20/20 Business English Werkboek B2 Top Course

20/20 Business English

KopTekst

Robert Hempelman Clare Loughnane

Top Course Werkboek B2 sector Econom

ie N3-4

Barcode onder voorbehoud

Business English

Top CourseWerkboek B2

sector Economie N3-4

AuteursRobert HempelmanClare Loughnane

EindredacteurRobert Hempelman

VormgevingEnOf Ontwerp + communicatie, Utrecht

Beeldredactie en opmaakStudio Imago, Amersfoort

Omslagfotografiexxx

Fotografie binnenwerkxxx

Illustratiesxxx

Website bij deze uitgavewww.2020english.nl

ThiemeMeulenhoff ontwikkelt leermiddelen voor primair onderwijs, voortgezet onderwijs, beroepsonderwijs en volwasseneneducatie en hoger onderwijs.

Meer informatie over ThiemeMeulenhoff en een overzicht van onze leermiddelen: www.thiememeulenhoff.nl of via onze klantenservice (088) 800 20 16.

ISBN 978 90 06 81455 2 Eerste druk, eerste oplage, 2011

© ThiemeMeulenhoff, Amersfoort, 2012

Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomati-seerd gegevensbestand, of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opnamen, of enig andere manier, zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de uitgever.

Voor zover het maken van kopieën uit deze uitgave is toegestaan op grond van artikel 16 Auteurswet j° het Besluit van 23 augustus 1985, Stbl., dient men de daarvoor wettelijk verschuldigde vergoedingen te voldoen aan Stichting Publicatie- en Reproductierechten Organisatie (PRO), Postbus 3060, 2130 KB Hoofddorp (www.stichting-pro.nl). Voor het overnemen van gedeelte(n) uit deze uitgave in bloemlezingen, readers en andere compilatiewerken (artikel 16 Auteurswet) dient men zich tot de uitgever te wenden. Voor meer informatie over het gebruik van muziek, film en het maken van kopieën in het onderwijs zie www.auteursrechtenonderwijs.nl.

De uitgever heeft ernaar gestreefd de auteursrechten te regelen volgens de wettelijke bepalingen. Degenen die desondanks menen zekere rechten te kunnen doen gelden, kunnen zich alsnog tot de uitgever wenden.

Deze uitgave is voorzien van het FSC-keurmerk. Dit betekent dat de bosbouw voor het gebruikte papier op een verantwoorde wijze heeft plaatsgevonden.

Voorwoord

Dit is Werkboek B2 sector Handel en Economie Niveau 3-4 van de herziene methode 20/20 Business English. Je gebruikt dit werkboek in combinatie met het eveneens herziene Handboek Economie Niveau 3-4.

Al het materiaal in dit werkboek is nieuw; er bleek behoefte te bestaan aan een werkboek voor gevorderde studenten die graag Engels op B2-niveau of hoger willen afsluiten. De auteurs hebben ernaar gestreefd teksten en opdrachten aan te bieden die passen bij een wat hoger werken denkniveau. Dit werkboek richt zich dan ook nadrukkelijk op de vele studenten die verder willen studeren in het hoger beroepsonderwijs. Het Handboek is een uitgebreid naslagwerk waarvan je vaak gebruik zult maken tijdens en misschien ook wel na je studie. In dit werkboek word je regelmatig verwezen naar paragrafen in het handboek. Om een oefening te kunnen maken moet je bijvoorbeeld eerst theorie bestuderen of achtergrondinformatie lezen.

Dit werkboek is verdeeld in tien units die allemaal over zakelijke onderwerpen gaan. De instructies zijn zoveel mogelijk in het Engels. De antwoorden op de vragen en de uitwerkingen van de opdrachten kun je in het boek zelf schrijven, zodat je altijd je werk bij de hand hebt. Na elke unit volgt een case, waarin je kunt laten zien dat je de geleerde stof beheerst en dat je communicatief vaardiger bent geworden. De methode 20/20 Business English is bedoeld om zelfstandig leren en werken te vergemakkelijken. Als je de aan-wijzingen in dit werkboek volgt en de opdrachten naar behoren uitvoert, zul je merken dat je veel vragen over het vak Engels zelf kunt beantwoorden en problemen zelf kunt oplossen.

Je docent heeft alle uitwerkingen. Bespreek met haar/hem of je over deze uitwerkingen mag beschikken.

Wij danken Anke Horlings voor haar grote bijdrage aan de cases in dit boek.

Robert HempelmanClare Loughnane

Gebruiksaanwijzing

In elke unit worden worden de vaardigheden Gesprekken voeren, Lezen, Schrijven, Luisteren en Spreken (presenteren) geoefend. Daarnaast is er aandacht voor Grammatica en belangrijke woorden.Aan het eind van elke unit vind je een Case.

Gesprekken voeren / Speaking interactionIn dit boek vind je oefeningen die je helpen een gesprek in het Engels te voeren over een verscheidenheid aan onderw-erpen. In veel gevallen kun je al voorbeelden ontlenen aan de luisteroefeningen bij dit boek.

Luisteren / ListeningDe luisteroefeningen zijn er niet alleen op gericht je luistervaardigheid te vergroten, maar ook om je een groot aantal voorbeeldgesprekken te laten horen die je in allerlei situaties kunt gebruiken.

Lezen / ReadingJe vindt in deze rubriek een groot aantal niet al te lange leesteksten over uiteenlopende onderwerpen waarmee je te maken kunt krijgen. De teksten worden gevolgd door een aantal verschillende opdrachten.

Schrijven / WritingDit boek biedt een aantal verschillende schrijfopdrachten (brief, verslag, memo), daarnaast leer je wat ingewikkelder zinnen vertalen.

Spreken / SpeakingBij dit onderdeel zul je een aantal presentaties over verschillende zakelijke onderwerpen moeten voorbereiden en houden.

Grammatica / GrammarJe vindt in dit deel een aantal grammatica-oefeningen bij de theorie uit het Handboek.

CaseDe case wordt in het Engels gepresenteerd. In de case laat je je communicatieve vaardigheden zien. Het is dus belan-grijk dat je de vaardigheden en de woorden en uitdrukkingen uit de voorafgaande unit goed beheerst.

Betekenis iconen

i Speaking interaction / Gesprekken voeren

p Speaking / Spreken

l Listening / Luisteren

r Reading / Lezen

w Writing / Schrijven

g Grammar / Grammatica

Inhoudsopgave

Unit 1 A Cast of Stars 7Case 1 Online Shopping in the EU 21

Unit 2 The Global Market-place 25Case 2 Not the Real Thing 40

Unit 3 Neighbours All Over the World 45Case 3 We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay 60

Unit 4 From Little Acorns. 63Case 4 Brazil 78

Unit 5 Greening the World 83Case 5 Going Green 98

Unit 6 E for Business 103Case 6 E-business 115

Unit 7 Take Care of the Pennies 119Case 7 Big vs. Small 134

Unit 8 The Ps in Marketing 139Case 8 Inspiring Ideas! 155

Unit 9 Money Talks 159Case 9 Mind Your Own Business 173

Unit 10 The Human Factor 179Case 10 Get That Job! 193

Unit 1A Cast of Stars

The European Union emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War. It was established primarily to enhance and develop economic cooperation between countries. Since then it has forged economic and political partnerships between European countries. It has most definitely evolved over the years from having successfully established a single market with the euro as the main currency to promoting and protecting human rights and democracy. This unit will examine the various institutions and policies of the EU.

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Unit 1 A Cast of Stars

i Speaking interactionExercise 1Work in pairs or in a group. Find out what you know about the European Union by answering the following questions in English.

1 How many countries are in the EU?

2 How many of them can you name?

3 Have you ever travelled to other EU countries? Which did you like best?

4 Would you like to live and work in another EU country? If so, which one, and why?

5 Are you in favour of the EU?

6 As you know, the Netherlands is also a member of the EU. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a member of the EU?

Now discuss your answers with your classmates.

l ListeningListen to track 1.

Exercise 2You are about to listen to a track describing the history of the EU. First, write down the answers to the following questions in English. After you have finished listening to the track, check your answers.

1 In what year did the Netherlands join the EU?

2 The EU evolved from a smaller organisation called the EEC. Write out this abbreviation in full.

3 How many countries are there in the EU?

When you have finished, answer these two questions.

4 What examples of political cooperation are mentioned?

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5 Mention two European countries that are not part of the EU.

l ListeningExercise 3Read the descriptions below and write down what countries are being described. If necessary, listen to track 1 again.

1 The national currency is the forint. The capital is Budapest.

2 This island in the Mediterranean is part Greek, part Turkish.

3 This country has Italy, Croatia, Hungary and Austria as its neighbours.

4 Vilnius is the capital city of this country. It is the largest of the Baltic states and borders Poland in the south.

5 This island, which is 90 kilometres south of Sicily, has MT as its country code.

6 The capital of this country is Bucharest.

7 This country’s name is Република България in the national language. Its capital is Sofia.

8 Until 1993, this republic used to constitute one country together with the Czech Republic.

9 This country has Tallinn as its capital. The country code is EE.

10 This Baltic state lies south of Estonia and north of Lithuania.

r ReadingExercise 4Here is a short extract about the aims of the European Union. Complete the text by filling in the gaps.

Aims of the European UnionThe aims of the EU are as follows:To improve the standard of (1) and quality of life of its citizens.To protect common European Values such as democracy, peace, tolerance and human

(2).To create an economically prosperous, peaceful and politically (3) Europe.

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The EU achieves its (4) by:Agreeing treaties that set out the aims and rules of membership.Agreeing common policies that will be followed by all (5).Pooling sovereignty by member states giving up some of their own national (6) and agreeing to (7) EU laws.Establishing (8) such as the EU Commission, Council of Ministers and Parliament, which manage the running of the Union.Contributing money annually towards the EU (9) to implement policies and pay for the running (10) of the institutions. The size of the contribu-tion is based on a percentage of national tax revenues.

When you have finished, listen to track 2 to check your answers.

r ReadingExercise 5Read the following text and answer the questions.

European institutionsThe EU has established a number of organisations or institutions to look after the running of it. Among the most important are the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Court of Auditors and the Court of Justice.

European CommissionThe European Commission is the institution that runs the EU. It consists of commissioners. Each commis-sioner is in charge of a different area of responsibility within the EU, such as transport, the environment, education, health, agriculture and trade.

The main functions of the Commission are:1 To propose new European laws. The Commission thinks up new ideas for laws that are needed in the EU.

Therefore, the Commission has to be aware of problems that may arise in the EU. The Commission then drafts a law that it thinks will solve the problems.

2 To enforce EU laws. The Commission supervises the EU to make sure that everyone obeys EU laws. If it finds any EU country not obeying an EU law, the Commission takes that country to the Court of Justice to force it to obey the law. The Commission is responsible for making sure that EU policies are carried out properly. For example, the EU Competition Policy states that all businesses must follow the principles of fair compe-tition. To make sure that this is adhered to, the Commission keeps an eye on all mergers and takeovers that take place in the EU. It can stop any mergers or takeovers if it thinks they will interfere with free competi-tion.

3 To draft the EU Budget. The Commission is responsible for drafting the EU budget. This means that it makes the initial decision as to how much money each country should get back from the EU.

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Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as the words and phrases below.

1 founded

2 is composed of

3 is in control of

4 most important

5 for this reason

6 notices

7 correctly; satisfactorily

8 is complied with

9 monitors

10 damage

w WritingExercise 6

➜➜ Study your Handbook, B17-B22, for information about summarising.Write a summary of no more than 50 words outlining the main points of the text in exercise 5.


Exercise 7You will hear a short extract about the European Parliament. Listen and write down whether the following statements are true or false.

1 Elections for the EU are held every four years.

2 In principle, MEPs are elected for life.

3 There are 700 MEPs.

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4 The European Parliament proposes new legislation independently.

5 The President of the Council is always a prime minister.

6 The Parliament has restrictive powers over the EU budget.

g GrammarExercise 8

➜➜ Study your Handbook, E33-E40, to review Present Perfect and Simple Past Tenses. Translate the following sentences into English. Look up any words you do not know in your Handbook, section G.

1 Hoe lang heeft u bij Equinox gewerkt?

2 Wanneer ging u weer terug naar Canada?

3 In welk jaar bent u afgestudeerd?

4 Heeft u wel eens met een van deze programma’s gewerkt?

5 Hoe lang zit u hier al te wachten? Niet te lang, hoop ik.

6 Hoe lang heeft u in Hong Kong gewoond?

7 Wanneer is het bedrijf waarvoor u werkte failliet gegaan?

8 Waar en wanneer heeft u onze advertentie gelezen?

9 Hoe lang woont u al in Nederland?

10 Wanneer en waar bent u geboren?

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r ReadingExercise 9Read the short text below and choose the correct alternatives.

The European Court of AuditorsThe European Court of Auditors is liable / responsible (1) for ensuring that the EU budget is managed properly. Its job is to check / control (2) that EU funds that come from EU taxpayers are properly collected and that they are spent legally, economically and for the intended purpose. Its aim is to ensure that the taxpayers get maximum value / worth (3) for their money.

The Court has one member from each EU country. It can audit / invite (4) any country or organisation that received EU funding to make sure that the money was not wasted and was spent for the purpose intended / reserved (5). This means that it investigates the bureaucracy / paperwork (6) of the organisation and carries out on-the-spot checks to make sure that every-thing was done correctly. The Court writes a report on its conclusions / findings (7) and this draws the attention of the Commission and the member states to any potential problems.


Exercise 10You will hear a short extract about the European Court of Justice. As you listen, make notes so that you can answer the questions in English.

1 What is the role of the Court of Justice?

2 How is the Court made up?

3 List the three functions of the Court of Justice.

4 When can a law be declared ‘null and void’?

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r ReadingExercise 11Complete the following paragraph by translating the words in italics.

The European Central Bank

The European Central Bank (ECB) is (verantwoordelijk) for managing the euro (munteenheid) and the EU’s (monetair beleid). It is based in Frankfurt. Its primary goals are (handhaven) low inflation and safeguarding the value of the euro. It does this together with the Eurozone’s national central banks, by setting the (rentepercentages) that apply in the Eurozone.

In summary, the key tasks of the ECB are to:

1 Define and implement monetary policy, such as (vaststellen) interest rates.

2 Maintain (prijsstabiliteit).

3 Support economic policies of member states as long as they do not affect price stability.

4 Conduct (vreemde valuta) operations and look after the official foreign reserves of the (lidstaten).

5 Promote smooth operation of (betaalsystemen) that link banks.

w WritingExercise 12Read the following text and answer the question.

The Single European Market

The Single European Market (SEM) is part of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). It makes the EU the world’s largest free trade area. There are no barriers to trade between the EU countries. There is free move-ment of goods, labour and capital throughout the EU as explained below.Goods: Businesses can sell their products anywhere in the EU without any restrictions such as tariffs, quotas or embargoes.Labour: EU workers can live and work anywhere in the EU.Capital: EU citizens and businesses can invest their money anywhere in the EU.The SEM has made trade within the EU easier. There are no customs checks or border controls anymore. This means that Irish goods are not physically inspected by government officials when they enter an EU country. Before the SEM abolished border checks, 60 million customs clearance documents were required every year.

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Now they are no longer needed. This means that there are no delays for businesses when they transport their products to other EU countries. Fewer delays not only mean faster transportation of goods but also increases profits by reducing costs.The SEM also allows for the free movement of capital. This means that EU citizens can invest their money an-ywhere in the EU.

➜➜ When you have finished reading the text, study your Handbook, B17-B22, for information about summarising. Write a summary of no more than 50 words highlighting the main points of the text.

w WritingExercise 13Read the following text and answer the question below.

The Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union represents national governments and is the EU’s most important decision-making body. The government of each EU country takes turns presiding over the council for a six-month peri-od. It represents the member states and its meetings are attended by one minister from each of the EU’s na-tional governments. The topic being discussed at a meeting will determine which Minister attends. For example, if the topic of discussion is agriculture, then the agriculture ministers will attend.

The main functions of the Council are:

1 To pass European laws. The Council is the institution, together with the European Parliament, that has the final say on what becomes EU law. This is called co-decision.

2 To conclude international agreements between the EU and other countries or organisations. Every year, the council officially signs such agreements on behalf of the EU. These agreements often cover areas such as trade with non-EU countries or organisations, fisheries, science, technology and transport.

3 To approve the EU’s budget. The Council has the power, together with the European Parliament, to approve of or reject the entire EU budget. Therefore, it can influence how the EU spends its money.

4 To allow member states to work together in the areas of foreign policy, security and defence.

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➜➜ When you have finished reading the text, study your Handbook, B17-B22, for information about summarising. Write a summary of no more than 50 words.

g GrammarExercise 14

➜➜ Study your Handbook, E27-28, to review prepositions. Translate the following sentences into English. Look up any words you do not know in your Handbook, section G.

1 Er is weinig vraag naar deze exclusieve auto’s.

2 Hij heeft duizenden klanten in binnen- en buitenland.

3 Het bedrijf begon in een klein dorp bij Londen.

4 Ik ben niet zo goed in onderhandelen als mijn baas.

5 Wij zitten momenteel zonder kopieerpapier.

6 De smartphones werden tegen belachelijke prijzen verkocht.

7 Bij brand de liften niet gebruiken!

8 Extra kosten worden altijd doorberekend aan de klant.

9 Ik koop altijd onze relatiegeschenken bij PlusPromotions.

10 Afleveren bij onderstaand adres.

11 Ik verzoek u zich te wenden tot mevrouw Faber van Klantenservice.

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12 Hij had een beamer van de marketingafdeling geleend.

13 Onze algemeen directeur vertrekt morgen naar Genève.

14 Wij danken uw naam en adres aan een van onze zakenpartners.

15 Betaling: contant bij aflevering.

16 Het rapport bestaat uit vier onderdelen.

17 Enkele klanten informeerden naar de verkoopvoorwaarden.

18 Voor kortingen verwijzen wij u naar bladzijde twee van de prijslijst.

19 Uw vliegtuig vertrekt over anderhalf uur, om 16.05.

20 Kunnen we dit niet per post verzenden?

i Speaking interactionExercise 15Work in pairs or groups.In January 2002 the new European currency, the euro, became the official currency in twelve countries. Fifteen countries now have the euro as their currency. These include: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the euro. Work in pairs or groups and then present your arguments in the form of a debate to the class.

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Exercise 16You will hear a short extract about the euro. As you listen, make notes so that you can answer the questions in English.

1 List the advantages of the euro.

2 What is the advantage of being able to compare prices? Give an example in business.

3 Why is it a problem if consumers compare prices?

i Speaking interactionExercise 17Work in pairs. Practise the following questions and answers in English. Use information from this unit.

1 Wat is het verschil tussen de EEG en de EU? De EEG werd opgericht in 1957 door Nederland, België, Luxemburg, Frankrijk, Duitsland en Italië. Deze organisatie bestaat nu uit 27 lidstaten die samen de EU heten.

2 Zijn alle Europese landen lid van de EU? Nee, Zwitserland en Noorwegen zijn voorbeelden van landen die geen lid zijn.

3 Is de EU alleen maar een vrijhandelsgebied? Nee, de lidstaten werken ook samen op het gebied van defensie en politieke kwesties.

4 Ik heb iets gelezen over de Europese waarden. Wat wordt daarmee bedoeld? Dat zijn waarden die Europeanen belangrijk vinden, zoals democratie, vrede, verdraagzaamheid en mensenrechten.

5 Hoe wordt het Europees Parlement gekozen? Europarlementariërs worden om de vijf jaar rechtstreeks gekozen door de burgers van de Europese Unie. Er zijn ruim 700 Europarlementariërs.

6 Wat doen die Europarlementariërs? Een van de dingen die zij doen is nieuwe wetten bespreken die door de Europese Commissie worden voorgesteld. Zij discussiëren over de voor- en nadelen en doen suggesties voor verbetering.

7 Heeft het Europarlement invloed op de begroting van de EU? Jazeker. De Europarlementariërs moeten de EU-begroting goedkeuren en hebben daarmee invloed op hoe de EU het geld besteedt.

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8 Er is ook een Europees Gerechtshof, is het niet? Ja, het bestaat uit rechters, een uit elk van de lidstaten. Het gerechtshof zorgt ervoor dat de EU-wetten in elk land op dezelfde wijze wordt toegepast.

9 Waarom werd de euro eigenlijk ingevoerd in 2002? Een belangrijke reden is dat het nu eenvoudiger is om zaken te doen in Europa, je hoeft niet steeds valuta te wisselen.

10 Zijn er ook nadelen aan de euro? Consumenten kunnen nu heel eenvoudig prijzen vergelijken, waardoor het gemakkelijker is om in het buitenland iets te kopen, bijvoorbeeld via internet. Een nadeel voor bedrijven is dat de concurrentie veel groter is.

i SpeakingExercise 18Read the following text describing the role of special interest groups in EU decision-making and then discuss with the class.

EU decision-makingEU laws can have major effects on governments, organisations, industries, businesses and individuals. Interest groups are therefore established to try to influence and challenge decisions made at European level to suit their members’ needs. These include:

• National Governments, which will always try to get support for their own views and to protect national interests• Employer organisations• Trade Unions• Consumer protection organisations• Environmental organisations• Regional groups• Individuals or small groups with specific concerns such as equality or health issues.

There are several methods that interest groups can use to influence EU decision-making:1 Public relations and other information campaigns can help to promote and publicise an interest group’s

view to win over public opinion and influence decision-makers.2 Lobbying the key decision makers, which includes the Ministers, Commissioners and MEPs.3 Public demonstrations and protests are used, which have the knock-on effect of generating media attention.

Work in pairs or groups. You represent a special interest group. You may select one of the groups mentioned above or you may create your own interest group. Prepare a presentation and argue in favour of the needs of your group.

➜➜ Refer to your Handbook, A140-A144, for information about presentations.

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Important words and phrasesMake sure that you know how to say the following words and phrases in English. They can all be found in unit 1.

opkomen, verschijnen

vergroten, versterken

evolueren

mensenrechten

instelling

verdraagzaam-heid

stabiel

verdrag

lidstaten

souverein, souvereiniteit

inkomsten

commissaris

milieu

onderwijs

landbouw

een wet ontwerpen

fusies en overnames

europarlemen-tariër

premier

begroting

monetair beleid

handelsbelem-meringen

vrij verkeer van goederen, arbeid en kapitaal

afschaffen

een vergadering bijwonen

een beslissing aanvechten

werkgevers-organisatie

vakbond

handelsblok

geschillen

beslechten

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Case 1 | Online shopping in the European UnionYou work as an intern for BEUC, the European Consumers’ Organisation. Its members are independent national consumer organisations from all EU countries. BEUC acts as the umbrella group in Brussels for these organisations and its main task is to represent its members and defend the interests of all Europe’s consumers.


A meetingYou are in a meeting, chaired by your boss Diana. The main item on the agenda is cross-border online shopping in the EU.Listen to the meeting and answer the questions.

1 Who addresses which issue(s)? Tick the right boxes. Note that some issues are addressed by more than one person and one issue is not addressed by any of these persons.

delivery language payment refunds trust

Michael

Yvonne

Olaf

Juan

Saskia

2 Listen to the last part of the meeting again, from ‘Very interesting…’ Make a list of action items for the next meeting. What actions are assigned to the following people?

Saskia Juan Olaf and Yvonne

r ReadingA press releaseYour boss Diana has asked you to read up on the subject of online shopping in the EU. She wants to know whether the European Commission has already taken steps to tackle this subject. You find the following latest press release on the internet. Read the text and answer the questions.

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European Commission – Press release

Online shopping: cross-border deliveries found reliable but few traders sell abroad in the EU

Brussels – Have you been tempted by a cheaper online offer from another EU country but wondered how reliable it is to shop from abroad? ‘Mystery shoppers’ from the EU-supported European Consumer Centres’ Network have checked just that. Their report (State of the e-Union) shows the results of 305 purchases in 28 countries. Delivery from abroad has turned out to be reliable overall, with 94% of orders delivered (up from 66% in 2006) and only 1% of the products found to be faulty. But shoppers had more problems when return-ing the goods (as part of the EU-wide cancellation rights), for example with getting the full costs reimbursed. Also, 60% of websites initially selected for the check as friendly to cross-border sales actually presented problems (e.g. with delivery, payment and language options), which made them unsuitable for online shoppers from other EU countries. The exercise confirms the European Commission’s own earlier findings. Before the end of this year, the Commission will outline its vision and action plan on how to help EU consum-ers make the most of e-commerce opportunities.

Health and Consumer Commissioner John Dalli said: ‘It is important for consumers that, once they place an order, the delivery of the products bought online from another EU country is reliable and that, when things go wrong, consumers have easy access to effective redress across Europe. There are still barriers that limit consumers’ choice and undermine confidence in the Single Market. I am determined to continue the work to abolish them.’

Key findingsMystery shoppers in 17 European Consumer Centres made a total of 305 online purchases from foreign EU-based traders in 28 countries. The products were then returned in line with ‘cooling-off’ rules (which allow online shoppers to send the product back without giving any particular reason and get a full refund). A summary of key findings follows below:

1 Delivery: 94% of the products were delivered, up from 66% in 2003 (when ECC-Net last did a similar exercise). This confirms the Commission’s March 2012 findings (see IP/11/280) suggesting that delivery for cross-border purchases within the EU is as reliable as for domestic ones or even more so (with the product not arriving in 5% of cross-border cases compared with 6% of domestic orders).

2 Products: only 1% of products were faulty (e.g. a book with a damaged cover) or different from what was ordered (e.g. wrong colour).

3 Returning products and reimbursements: When shoppers returned the products under the ‘cooling-off’ rules, the product cost was reimbursed in 90% of cases. However, 57% of shoppers had problems getting reimbursed for the original delivery costs, as required under EU rules. Also, some traders placed illegal restrictions on returning the goods (e.g. by telling the shoppers that they had no such right). Under EU rules, consumers can cancel an online order for any reason within at least 7 days from receiving it (more in some countries), and send it back to the seller (though they may have to pay the cost of shipping the product back).

4 Website friendliness to cross-border sales. The foreign websites were originally preselected based on a set of minimum criteria for ‘cross-border friendliness’ (such as the willingness to sell abroad as well as payment and language options). But in practice 60% of these sites presented difficulties that made them unsuitable for online shoppers from other countries (e.g. because the delivery to the consumer’s country was not in fact possible). A 2009 EU Commission study (see IP/09/1564) also found that 60% of cross-border online orders were refused.

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What is next?The EU Commission wants to keep making things work better for online shoppers in the EU-wide market. At the end of this year, the Commission will present a study on the savings potential of e-commerce for consum-ers. This will feed into an action plan entirely devoted to the development of e-commerce in the single market and to removing existing barriers.

As part of the plan, the Commission wants to table an ambitious legislative proposal that will allow consum-ers shopping online from an EU country to solve their disputes with traders based in another EU country, entirely online as an alternative to going to court. This is expected before the end of this year.

1 Are the following statements true or false?a Reliable delivery is the greatest problem in cross-border online shopping. b Delivery is more reliable now than in 2006. c Only a few products ordered from web shops abroad were damaged. d Most European web shops are suitable for shoppers from other EU countries. e European online shoppers have the right to return their purchases within seven days.

2 The European Commission is preparing an action plan to improve cross-border online shopping within the EU. Which two elements of the plan are mentioned in the text?

i Speaking interactionDo we need more rules?Work in pairs for the following role-play. Do not look at each other’s role cards.You (A) discuss with a colleague (B) whether it is a good idea to have more rules for web shops in the EU. You were both present at the meeting and have both read the press release by the European Commission (see previous exercises). You are in favour of more regulation, and your colleague is against it. Person A starts the discussion.

Role card A

Argumenten:• het is lastig voor consumenten om te bestellen bij buitenlandse webwinkels; noem een aantal problemen

(zie bijvoorbeeld de vorige oefeningen)• consumenten hebben problemen om spullen te retourneren en alle kosten terug te krijgen• noem een nieuwe regel die je graag ingevoerd zou zien en waarom• bedenk zelf nog een argument of een nieuwe regel; je kunt de informatie uit de vorige oefeningen gebruiken• reageer op de argumenten van B

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Role card B

Argumenten:• eigenaren van webwinkels moeten de keuze hebben of ze aan buitenlandse klanten willen verkopen of

niet en zelf weten of ze daarvoor de mogelijkheden willen aanbieden• het gaat nu al best goed zonder extra regels; onderbouw dit met informatie uit de leestekst• er zijn nu al voldoende regels, bijvoorbeeld voor het retourneren van producten, ze worden alleen niet goed

nageleefd• bedenk zelf nog een argument; je kunt de informatie uit de vorige oefeningen gebruiken• reageer op de argumenten van A

w WritingMy reportIn the previous exercises you heard, read and talked about some problems that online shoppers encounter when they want to buy something from a web shop in another EU country. Your boss Diana has asked you to write a report on one of these problems. Write a report of about 150 words.Cover the following points:• describe one problem that cross-border online shoppers in the EU encounter• support this with findings from the European Commission study• describe at least one solution to this problem• suggest at least one way of influencing European decision-making on this subject (you may look at exercise

18 of this unit for ideas)

➜➜ Use the information from the previous exercises. You may also look up extra information on the internet. Study your Handbook, C47, for information on writing reports.

p SpeakingThe next meetingDiana, your manager, has asked you to present your report at the next meeting.Prepare and present a three-minute presentation about your report. You may use audiovisual aids like

➜➜ PowerPoint. Refer to your Handbook, A140-A144, for information about presentations.

20/20 Business English Werkboek B2 Top Course

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