Business English Conversation

Author: Liu Xingwu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: The book "Business English Oral Communication" is aimed at individuals currently or about to engage in foreign economic and trade activities. It is an intermediate to advanced English oral communication textbook. It can serve as a teaching material for English oral communication courses in colleges and universities majoring in foreign economic and trade, or be used for self-study by a broad range of English enthusiasts. The book is divided into 10 lessons, covering topics frequently encountered in foreign economic and trade activities, common vocabulary, and expressions, along with translation exercises and answers for self-study. The main contents of the book include inquiry, price negotiation, order placement, transportation, payment, claims, etc. The last lesson, "A Joint Venture," simulates the entire process of a joint venture negotiation and includes the following main points of a joint venture contract negotiation: the necessity of establishing a joint venture, the scale and location of the joint venture, the basis of feasibility research, the division of assets, profits, and risks among the joint venture parties, the introduction of product characteristics, as well as sales in domestic and international markets, the company structure and personnel composition, the recruitment and wages of employees, taxation and insurance, the duration and termination of the joint venture, etc.
The purpose of this book is to address the rapid development of foreign economic and trade in our country, especially after Deng Xiaoping's southern tour speech, where a large number of joint ventures emerged in China. There is a growing demand for foreign trade talents in foreign trade businesses, import and export businesses, and foreign-related economic businesses. Whether they are students majoring in foreign economic and trade disciplines or those who have recently started working in this field, they need to understand and master what and how both Chinese and foreign parties, as well as buyers and sellers, communicate in foreign economic and trade activities, especially during negotiations.
Therefore, the starting point of this textbook is to provide learners with a general concept through the rich dialogues in the lessons, which are adapted from actual foreign trade negotiation scenarios, so that they can understand what is said and how it is said in foreign economic and trade activities. This helps students experience and simulate the actual negotiation process and techniques, thereby further mastering foreign economic and trade oral communication.
In terms of material organization, this textbook focuses on setting foreign trade scenarios that are closely related to the domestic and international economic situation of the 1990s. Especially when it comes to specific names of domestic foreign trade institutions, high-tech new products, and enterprise names, the textbook strives for authenticity to stimulate students' interest in role-playing and communication. For fictional scenarios, annotations are added, such as the purchase of military supplies after the Gulf War and the real estate business of China Resources Group in Hong Kong, etc.