问题的讨论和解决

本项考试内容：本项考试为考生模拟了商业工作的真实环境，包括商业活动中任何可以进行双向交流的场合。但仍然处于以下范围中：广告、求职、通信联系、商业交流、经营者与顾客的关系、财政、会计、生产管理、生产安全、员工健康、员工管理、员工招聘、 员工培训、市场、销售、货物运输、技术等等。

本项考试的目的是：考官考察考生运用英语进行交流的能力。包括：正确的组织和进行对话的能力;对问题做出正确的回应和分析的能力;做出判断的能力。

本项考试从难度上来说居于口语三项考试之首。

考生在本项考试中必须做到：

1.仔细阅读本项考试文字材料，明确所要达到的目的。(讨论什么;决定什么)

2.在讨论的开头迅速对所讨论的话题的背景进行简单介绍。

实用技巧：将文字材料中的字句进行简化并表达出来。(见范例)

3.两名考生讨论和解决的问题进行。

实用步骤1：一问一答式的讨论(范例1)

A提问(一句话)——B回答(一句话)，阐述理由(两句话)，A附和(一句话)，阐述理由(两句话)——一B提问(一句话)——A回答(一句话),阐述理由(两句话)，B附和(一句话)，阐述理由(两句话).——A或B定下决定(一句话)——B或A支持决定(一句话)。

这种方法思路清晰明确，但切忌回答过于简单。

实用步骤2：各自阐述观点的讨论(范例2)

A阐述观点(一句话)和理由(两句话)——B对A的观点表态(一句话)，阐述自己的观点并阐述理由(两句话)——双方讨论，深入阐述本人观点(A，B各两句话)——定下决定(A，B各一句话)。

这种方法适合对问题的辩论。但考生需注意彼此的交流。

实用技巧(见范例)：

A.提问者将文字材料中规定讨论的部分(通常特殊疑问句)改为一般疑问句并进行表述。

B.使用第一人称I或We进行表述，自然进入虚拟的工作环境中。

C.使用工作场合中常用的套话使得交流更加自然。例如：Shall we get down to our business?

D.在讨论中表达同意时所用的句型：I think so. / You are right. /That’s quite true. /Definitely. /I have the same view. /I share your concern. /That’s a good point. / No doubt about it.

E. 在讨论中表达不同意时所用的句型：That’s true but…. Yes I know but…. I understand but…. I don’t think that I agree with you. I don’t think so. I can’t agree with you. I have some difficulty with your view.

Attending Trade Fairs

Your company has been invited to take part in a trade fair, which will take place during the busiest time of the year. You have been asked to decide whether staff should be sent to this trade fair.

Discuss and decide together:

*what the advantages and disadvantages are of attending trade fairs

*which members of staff would most usefully represent a company at a trade fair

Model Answer 1:

A: You know our company has been invited to this year’s Guangzhou Trade Fair in July. But July is our busiest time. So we have to decide whether to send our staff to attend this fair. What’s your opinion?

B: I think we should send our staff because….

A: I agree with you. From my point of view, we should…because….

B: Which members of staff will you choose to represent our company to attend the fair?

A: My ideal members of staff are … You know…

B: I think that is the exact reason why we should …

A: I am very happy that we hold the same idea.

B: So let’s make this decision.

A: Ok. I’ll let our boss know our decision this afternoon.

Model Answers2:

A: You know our company has been invited to this year’s Guangzhou Trade Fair in July. But July is our busiest time. So we have to decide whether to send our staff to attend this fair.

B: I think we should send our staff because…

A: To be frank, I don’t agree with you…

B: But the fact is we can benefit much more from sending our staff to the fair than keeping them at work. You know…

A: Ok, maybe you are right.

B: Let’s move to the next agenda. Which members of staff should our company send?

A: …

B: I agree with you. …

A: Ok. Let’s make this decision.

B: Ok. I’ll let our boss know our decision this afternoon.

Promoting Tourism

An international conference on tourism will held soon. You have been appointed to a committee which will make recommendations on how your region should be promoted at the conference.

●Which types of tourist attractions and facilities generate most income from foreign visitors?

●How other attractions and facilities should be promoted effectively to foreign visitors?

Recruitment Video

Your company wishes to recruit more young business graduates. You have been asked to produce a recruitment video, which will be used to attract more job applications from business students.

●What types of information about the company to include in the video?

●Which members of staff should be involved in making the video?

Foreign Workers

Your company has recently singed an agreement with a foreign company, which means that foreign business people will be working in your company for short periods. You have been asked to help with preparations for their arrival.

●How to familiarize foreign business people with the working practices of your company?

●What arrangements need to be made for the foreign staff for outside working hours?

Newspaper Article

A local newspaper is planning a series of articles about successful companies in the area, including your company. You have been asked to communicate with the newspaper about the content of the article on your company.

●What kinds of information about the company should be included?

●How the company could benefit from the newspaper article?

Cost cutting

Your company has decided to try to reduce costs. You have been asked to investigate the possibility of cutting the financial costs of operating your department.

●Which are the areas where costs could be cut?

●What problems might arise from cutting costs?

Customer complaints

Your manager is not satisfied with the way staff reacts to complaints from clients about products or services. You have been asked to suggest how this could be improved.

●How the company can make effective use of will be available in the new office?

●What training will be needed for these jobs?

Staff recruitment

Your factory urgently needs to recruit a large number of temporary staff in order to fulfill an unexpected order. The staff needs to be ready to start work as soon as possible.

●What you need to do in order to find suitably skilled staff?

●What type of induction program the new staff will need before they start work?

Modernization Program

You work for a large company which has decided to introduce a program of modernization and improvement. You are involved in setting up this program.

●How to prepare staff for major changes within the company

●What other factors have to be considered when introducing major changes in a company

Language Courses Abroad

Your company has offered you the opportunity of attending a six-month English language course abroad. You have to decide whether to accept, and are therefore going to attend a meeting to find out more about the offer.

●What the advantages are of learning languages abroad

●What plans you will have to make for work and home if you go away for a long period

Potential Supplier

A potential supplier will soon be visiting you at your workplace. You think this supplier and the products or services they offer could be very important for the future of your company.

●What you need to find out about the supplier and the products or services before the visit

●How you could entertain the supplier the negotiations

Foreign Business Travel

Your company has decided that it needs to introduce a clear policy on foreign business travel. You have been asked to help draw up the guidelines.

●What the various reasons are why members of a company make business trips abroad

●In what ways a company might be affected if the number of foreign business trips was reduced

Company Directory

Your company is going to be included in an international directory of all the types of businesses operating in your country. You have been asked to write a brief profile of your company for the directory.

●What information you will include about your company

●How the directory would be useful to companies

Teamwork

Your company is keen to encourage staff to work together in teams. You have been asked to suggest ways in which this could be implemented.

●How to convince staff of the advantage of teamwork

●How to evaluate the results of the company’s policy

Staff Fitness

Your company is keen to have a fit and healthy workforce. You have been asked to suggest ways in which this could be achieved.

●What the advantages are to a company of having a fit and healthy workforce

●What facilities a company should provide in order to encourage staff to be fit and healthy

Investing in Staff Training

Your company has recently had a problem with staff leaving the company shortly after completing training courses. You have been asked to write a report for senior management on this situation.

●How to encourage staff who have undertaken training courses to stay with the company

●How to ensure that a company benefits from providing a range of facilities for its workforce

Corporate Entertainment

Your company is keen to establish a policy for entertaining important clients.

You have been asked to make recommendations for a policy for corporate entertainment.

●What are the advantages and disadvantages to a company of entertaining clients

●What are the criteria for selecting entertainment for clients

Staff Retirement

Your company wants to introduce a program to help staff prepare fully for retirement.

●What practical preparations staff need to make for their retirement

●What the advantages and disadvantages are to a company of staff retiring

Working from Home

Your company is considering allowing some employees to work from home for part of the working week. Your managing director has asked you to write a report on this proposal.

●Which employees this system would be most suitable for

●How technology could help to make the system of working from home effective

Export Office

Your company has decided to open an export office in order to deal with an increase in orders from abroad. This office will be responsible for the company’s exports and will be visited by foreign representative.

●What kinds of jobs will be available in the new office

●What training will be needed for these jobs

New Factory

Your company is expanding and wants to open a new factory in another area. You have been asked to consider where the best place would be to locate it.

●What factors need to be considered in choosing a good location

●Which of these factors are the most important to consider

Business Presentation

A local college has asked your company to give a short presentation to a group of young business students about the work of one of the departments in your company. You are in charge of organizing the presentation.

●Which department would be the most interesting for the students to hear about

●Which methods or aids could be used to make the presentation interesting for young people

Staff Turnover

The managing director of your company is keen to reduce the number of staff leaving after a short time. You have been asked to suggest ways of encouraging staff to stay in the company.

●What kinds of incentives might help to retain staff

●How to ensure that staff satisfaction is maintained

Market Research

Your company is considering introducing a new product and wants to assess the market potential. You have been asked to suggest ways of doing this.

●What kinds of information would be useful to obtain

●How to decide whether to go ahead with the product

Product Recall

Your company has discovered a design fault in a new product and needs to recall this product from customers. You have been asked to make recommendations about the best way to handle this incident.

●What would be the most effective method of informing customers of the product recall

●How to ensure the company’s reputation remains undamaged by the incident