No matter what type or level of job I am applying for, I always go out of my way to greet the receptionists and secretaries with sincerity.

• True

• False

Scoring: Whatever your score, the real purpose of this quiz has already been accomplished -- getting you better prepared for job-hunting.

Number of questions you answered correctly:

14-15: You're in great shape and should do well in your job search. 12-13: You're in good shape, though you need to do some polishing of your etiquette. 11-10: You're in need of doing some real work to get a better understanding of business etiquette.

Under 9: You're in need of spending a lot of time learning the details of business etiquette.

(from http://www.quintcareers.com/job-hunting_etiquette_quiz.html)

3.3 Read the text Etiquette to Job Searching. Mind Your Manner… and summarize the information given in it. Etiquette to Job Searching. Mind Your Manner…

G ood manners are very important and can often determine whether or not you get the job. The atmosphere in the corporate job world is so much different from that in typical college jobs; once you're hired after college, you're expected to know how to dress and act. According to company recruiters and hiring managers nationwide, proper etiquette among students they've interviewed is sorely lacking. Companies not only want strong academic credentials and solid leadership skills, they're also insisting on excellent interpersonal skills and etiquette is considered a component of those skills. Employers can afford to be very choosy in who they hire due to the challenging job market, so get a head start on the competition...

Dress appropriately for each company in oil and gas industry - Be aware of dress requirements for each company; dressing professionally will help you develop self-confidence as well as gain the confidence of others. It is recommended that both men and women wear a suit and sensible shoes. Women should wear a moderate amount of makeup and simple jewelry. Men should be clean shaven with a conservative tie and ironed shirt.

A neutral colored suit in navy or another dark color with a skirt

Show genuine enthusiasm - Be natural; people respond well to this. Get excited about the job you're interviewing for - express interest.

Be patient - Not everything that is faster is necessarily better; learn to differentiate between being appropriately persistent and immaturely impatient.

Watch what you say and how long you take to say it - This ranges from how you address others to avoiding slang expressions such as, "you know" or "like"; an intelligent response to an interview question should be between 2 and 6 sentences, not 6 paragraphs or 6 words.

Learn to listen - Listening is an essential tool for several reasons: by listening to others, you flatter them by showing that what they're saying is important; also, by listening you're learning and increasing your chances of succeeding - how will you understand what your responsibilities are if you're not listening?

Look the interviewer in the eyes, sit up straight with both feet on the floor.

Always be ready to demonstrate what you can do to help - It is your job to know what you can do; emphasize what you can do for the company, not what the company can do for you.

Be on time - Timeliness is a must; plan to leave and extra 10 minutes earlier than normal; timeliness contributes to your chances of success.

Adopt a friendly attitude - Believe in yourself; smiling is never out of style! Be remembered as a nice person who appears happy, relaxed, and interested in others and easy with which to work.

Etiquette involves concentrating on being polite, warm, and friendly and being graceful with your body. Be yourself, not someone else.

(from http://career.boisestate.edu/etiquette.html)

3.4 Read the text Career and Job Fair Do's and Don'ts and find the English equivalents to the following words and phrases.

1) ярмарка вакансий; 2) исключать, игнорировать; 3) вербовать, нанимать; 4) менеджер по приему на работу; 5) выгода, польза; 6) опыт работы; 7) навык; 8) способность; 9) быть запуганным, испугаться; 10) сортировать потенциальных кандидатов; 11) жевать жевательную резинку; 12) ёрзать; 13) предыдущая работа; 14) начальник; 15) зарплата.

3.5 Read the text Career and Job Fair. Do’s and Don’ts. Pay attention to the keys to successfully navigating a career or job fair. Career and job fair. Do's and don'ts

H ere are the keys to successfully navigating a career or job fair. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important strategic tool of job-hunting.

• Do have a specific strategy for maximizing your time at the event. And don't bother spending time with recruiters from companies that do not interest you.

• Do pre-register for the event, and do attempt to get the list of attending companies before the career fair.

• Don't eliminate companies because they are recruiting for positions outside your field; take the time to network with the recruiter and get the name of a hiring manager for your particular career field.

• Do attempt to research basic information about each company you hope to interview with at the job fair. A common career fair question from recruiters is, “Why do you want to work for our company?”

• Don't just drop your resume on the recruiter's table and walk off.

• Do be prepared to talk about your work experiences, skills, and abilities.

• Don't be afraid or intimidated by the recruiter; he or she is there to do a job -- to meet and screen potential candidates.

• Do have a few questions prepared for each recruiter, but don't ask questions that any good job-seeker should already know, such as “What does your company do?”

• Do say the recruiter's name several times during your conversation, even if you have to keep glancing at the recruiter's nametag.

• Don't forget to eliminate such bad habits as playing with your hair, chewing gum, fidgeting, rocking from side-to-side, acting distracted, rubbing your nose, etc.

• Do remember all the keys to successful interviewing, including a firm handshake, a warm smile, eye contact, and a strong voice.

• Don't use filler words such as "um", "like", "you know."

• Do bring enough copies of your resume to the career fair. And do bring different versions of your resume if you are searching for different types of jobs.

• Do take advantage of the time you have to build rapport with each recruiter, but don't monopolize their time.

• Don't ever just walk up to a booth and interrupt a current conversation; wait your turn and be polite.

• Do dress professionally -- conservative is always the safe choice. And do wear comfortable shoes.

• Don't waste the opportunity to network, not only with the recruiters, but with fellow job-seekers and other professionals in attendance at the career fair.

• Don't ever say anything negative to the recruiter about your college or previous jobs, companies, or supervisors.

• Do be sure to ask about the hiring process of each company, but don't ask too many questions about salaries, vacation time, and other benefits.

• Do take the initiative and ask about the next step in the process. And do be prepared to follow-up all job leads.

• Do be sure to follow-up with each recruiter. Some experts say to call and leave a message on their voicemail right after the job fair, but at a minimum you should send each recruiter a thank you letter.

(from http://www.cyprusrecruiter.com/careerkit.aspx?ID=1)

6. Read the text Career and Job Fair once more and answer the questions.

1) What is a common career fair question from recruiters? 2) What should a candidate be ready to talk about? 3) What bad habits should a candidate forget? 4) Why is it better to dress professionally? 5) What questions is better not to ask?

3.7 Read the text Career and Job Fair. Do's and Don'ts once more and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) It is better to get the list of attending companies, before the career fair. 2) A candidate should ask as many questions as possible about the company he is going to work for. 3) A candidate should never take the initiative in the process of recruiting. 4) A candidate should ask all questions about salaries, vacation time, and other benefits. 5) A candidate should follow-up with each recruiter.

3.8 To get success while being interviewed it’s better to follow the basic rules. Read and translate them. Fill in the chart Job Interviewing Do's / Job Interviewing Don'ts

Job interviewing do's and don'ts

Here are the keys to successful job interviewing. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.

1. Take a practice run to the location where you are having the interview -- or be sure you know exactly where it is and how long it takes to get there.

2. Research and know the type of job interview you will be encountering.

3. Prepare and practice for the interview.

4. Memorize or over-rehearse your answers.

5. Arrive about 10 minutes early.

6. Chew gum during the interview.

7. Fill in a job application, fill it out neatly, completely, and accurately.

8. Bring extra resumes to the interview.

9. Have a limp or clammy handshake!

10. Remember body language and posture.

11. Tell jokes during the interview.

12. Make good eye contact with your interviewer(s).

13. Show enthusiasm in the position and the company.

14. Smoke if the interviewer does and offers you a cigarette.

15. Act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.

16. Say anything you want about former colleagues, supervisors, or employers.

17. Answer questions truthfully and frankly.

18. Bring up or discuss personal issues or family problems.

19. Conduct yourself as if you are determined to get the job you are discussing.

20. Answer cell phone calls during the interview.

21. Show what you can do for the company rather than what the company can do for you.

22. Inquire about salary, vacations, bonuses, retirement, or other benefits.

23. Close the interview by telling the interviewer(s) that you want the job and asking about the next step in the process.

24. Write thank you letters within 24 hours to each person who interviewed you.

(from http://www.quintcareers.com/interviewing-dos-donts.html)

4 . LISTENING

4.1 You are going to listen to the advice on how to become an expert in oil and gas job interviews. Imagine that you already have good experience in interviewing. Write down at least 5 pieces of advice that you would like to give your friend who is interested in it. Compare them with your partner.

4.2 The words and phrases in the box come up in the text. Guess or look up in the dictionary any new words you do not know. Make up your own sentences using these words and phrases.

4.3 Listen to the text How to Become an Expert in Oil and Gas Job Interviews and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. Many of the smaller oil companies have a recruitment process according to their worldwide practices.

2. The recruitment process includes the application form and the interview.

3. In Shell the applicants are given complex tasks including creating viable solutions to problems that relate to the oil and gas processes.

4. The final goal of the oil and gas companies is to form a highly professional team of oil and gas employees.

5. Only a great search can help you on your selection process.

6. Before the company has approved your application, you should sell yourself and find out more about the employing company.

7. The employers prefer 'people persons', that means you are communicative you can reason with people on various levels.

8. If you are late for the interview apologize and offer your excuses.

9. Speak clearly and think before you speak.

10. Show that you are really interested in building a career in the oil and gas industry.

4. Listen to the text again and answer the following questions.

1) What gives the employers the possibility to observe how the applicants deal when confronted with complex problems that can occur in their position? 2) What is the best way to be prepared for any kind of questions? 3) How can you be an asset to the company? 4) Can you get a job if you are nervous? 5) What time is it better to arrive at the company for job interviewing? 6) How should you be dressed? 7) What is necessary to build an interesting conversation with the interviewer? 8) When should you be confident? 9) Should you ask about the wages and benefits? 10) Can you ask an interviewer to describe his company’s advantages?

5 Speaking

5.1 Make up a list of the things you can or can’t do during interviewing. Listen to the statements of other students and agree or disagree with them. Use the phrases of agreement and disagreement.

5.2 Imagine that you have a big experience in recruiting. Your friend asked you to help him. With the help of the sentences given below try to discuss all possible variants of your actions when recruiting.

1. Finding a new job should not take any longer than one month.

2. You should always avoid paying an employment agency in order to get the best job leads.

3. The best way to find a job is looking through want ads and job postings.

4. Networking is an important activity when you're already employed.

5. Internet job-hunting is the wave of the future and should comprise the majority of your job-hunting time.

6. A scannable or text-based resume is just a stripped down version of your regular (formatted) resume.

7. Your (formatted) resume should be no longer than one page in length.

8. You don't always need to send a cover letter with your resume when applying for a job.

9. You should follow-up your cover letters with a phone call to the employer.

10. Sending thank you letters to every person you interview with is a nice gesture, but not really necessary.

11. What you wear and how you look has an impact on job interviews.

12. It is extremely important to prepare for interviews by preparing questions to ask as well as preparing answers to questions you may be asked.

13. A basic knowledge of a company and the industry (or industries) it operates in is not crucial when job-hunting.

14. Once you've been offered the job, you can start negotiating your salary.

5.3 Study the Southern California Gas Company Profile given below. Work with your partner.

• You should be prepared for all types of questions (asked by your partner), particularly about yourself in detail, why you want the job and what you can contribute to the company. Job interview questions may range from:

• Why did you choose to persuade a degree in ... ?

• Describe the job you had last with ...

• What are your strengths/weaknesses?

• What are your long-range career goals?

• Try to demonstrate your interest in the job asking the direct and logical questions. You will probably have your own but these may prompt some ideas:

• Why has the position become available?

• Who will you report to?

• What deadlines will you be working to?

• What are the key success indicators of the role?

• If you are joining a team, how is this made up?

• What are the most critical aspects of the role?

• Are there any planned changes in the near future which are relevant to the role?

• Are there any planned organisational changes which may affect the role?

• When will a decision be made regarding the appointment?

Company profile

Southern California Gas Company has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation’s largest natural gas distribution utility, providing safe and reliable energy to 20.5 million consumers through 5.7 million meters in more than 500

c ommunities. The company’s service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles in diverse terrain throughout Central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border.

The Gas Company is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company.

• List of Cities Served

  • Our motto reflects our commitment to provide customers with world-class service. This has been the key to our longevity and success.

  • Everyday we work to improve our systems, develop gas technologies, add convenience, and share useful information to help make it easier for our customers use energy safely and wisely.

  • Our commitment to our customers also includes maintaining a diverse workforce and working with suppliers that represent and reflect the communities we serve.

  • This commitment extends to improving the quality of life in our communities through volunteer activities and charitable contributions. These community programs help to develop thriving neighborhoods and local businesses.

• Like other investor-owned utilities in the state, Southern California Gas Company’s operations are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission and other state and federal agencies.

(from http://www.socalgas.com/aboutus/profile.html)

5.4 Look through the job ads given below and say:

• What kind of companies are looking for employees;

• What skills and qualifications the applicants for the Fircroft should possess;

• What the main criteria for the Senior Commissioning Manager in Electromechanical Engineering and Construction company are;

• What the main responsibilities of the Senior Commissioning Manager are.

(from http://www.oilandgasjobsearch.com/jobs/Integrity-jobs/Commissioning-Lead-Cathodic-Protection-Specialist/jobid326857)

(from http://joblistnigeria.com/senior-commissioning-manager-adexen.html)

5.5 Split into pairs and act out the following dialogues. Use the active vocabulary.

1. One of you has recently lost your job but heard about recruitment in Fircroft. Try to get as much information as possible from your acquaintance who has read a job advertisement in the newspaper.

2. You know that your friend is looking for a job. He is good at English, dealing with papers, has some experience in the commissioning, operation and maintenance of plant and equipment on oil and gas projects.

5 .6 Prepare yourself for some of the most popular interview questions and answers. You will find them on these pages:

Job Interview Questions Part - 1

Job Interview Questions Part - 2

Job Interview Questions Part - 3

Job Interview Questions Part - 4

Career Goals – Interview Questions

Diplomacy Skills – Interview Questions

Risk Taking - Interview Questions

Strategic Thinking - Interview Questions

Trick Questions - Interview Questions

6 WRITING

6.1 Try to compose a job of your own. Take into consideration that you must:

• give basic information of your company

• describe the features of character of the staff you need

• mention qualification and age if necessary

• name the position you employ for

• give your address in full and all phone numbers.

6.2 Read information on a Cover Letter

W hen you apply for a job you need to send a resume and a cover letter. A cover letter introduces you to the person who is hiring for the job. Your aim is to demonstrate why you and your background make a prefect match for the position you are applying for.

Before you write the cover letter, you need information about the job, especially the qualifications needed. The best place to find this information is in the advertisement where you learned about the job.

6.3 Read the two job advertisements. Pay attention to the qualifications needed.

A

B

6.4 Complete the Job Requirements Chart. Write a check (V) if the job advertisement asks for the requirement.

6.5 Study the body of a Cover Letter.

6.6 Fill in the blanks in the Cover Letter choosing the right variant of the phrases given below the letter.

Santos, 1234, West 67 Street, Carlisle, MA 01741, (123)-456 7890.

Date: 1st June, 2008

Mr. Ronaldo Personel Manager ABC Dept 12345 Lackey Blvd. Landsville, USA 12345

Dear Mr.Ronaldo:

I would like ___1___ a professional candidate for Oil & Gas Drafter, ___2___ atoznewtips.com on May 29.

___3___ Oil and Gas University in 1999, where I specialized in drafting. I am familiar with drafting, drawings and planning for layout, construction, and the operation of oil fields, refineries, and pipeline systems based on field notes, rough or detailed sketches, and specifications. I would be delighted to have the opportunity to work for your company, in order to ___4___ in the field of drafting.

___5___ which will give you further particulars of my career ___6___ . I am ___7___ at any time, and would be happy to come to Landsliver if necessary, so you can learn more about my experience and also see for yourself that I am well suited to this work. I would welcome joining your team of Oil & Gas Drafter.  If you’d like to set up an appointment please phone me at 234-654-3456.

Thank you for the time considering my cover letter and resume.

Look forward to ___8___.

Sincerely Yours,

Santos

Enclosures:

1. Resume

2. Letter of appreciation

3. Letter of recommendation

1. Хотеть поступить на объявленное место:

   to be the

   to be considered for the position of

   to propose myself as

2. Основываться на объявлении в газете:

   as seen

   as appeared

   as advertised

3. Упоминать о своем образовании:

   Having graduated from

   Having got through

   Having finished with

4. расширить свой опыт:

   enlarge my experience

   broaden my experience

   widen my knowledge

5. Прилагать свое резюме:

   I include my Curriculum Vitae

   My Curriculum Vitae is enclosed

   c) Enclosed is my Curriculum Vitae

6. «до сих пор»:

   to date

   until now

   until here

7. «в вашем распоряжении для собеседования»:

   keen on being interviewed

   waiting for my interview

   available for interview

8. Ждать ответа:

(from: Курс делового английского языка)

6.7 Study the Important Language given below.

Important language to remember

ССЫЛКА НА ОБЪЯВЛЕНИЕ

ДАВАТЬ ЗАЯВЛЕНИЕ О ПРИЕМЕ НА РАБОТУ

ЗАПРОС О НАЛИЧИИ ВАКАНСИИ

ЗАПРОС ИНФОРМАЦИИ О РАБОЧЕМ МЕСТЕ

ИНФОРМАЦИЯ О СЕБЕ И СВОЕМ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОМ ОПЫТЕ

УКАЗАНИЕ НА РЕЗЮМЕ

ЗАКЛЮЧИТЕЛЬНЫЕ ФОРМУЛИРОВКИ

6.8 Study the Cover Letter given below. Analyze its structure and find its strengths and weaknesses. Petroleum Engineer Cover Letter

Anthony Hendricks 76 Rockwell Street Orland Park, USA 89890 May 5, 2006

Mr. Raymond Hill,

Hiring Manager

Southeast Petroleum Company

87 Main Street

Orland Park, USA 89890

Dear Mr. Hill:

I saw your notice on JobBankUSA.com for a petroleum engineer to devise methods to improve oil and gas well production and to determine the need for new or modified tool designs. I also have experience overseeing drilling and providing technical advice to assure economical and satisfactory progress. My cover letter today is my official application for the position. May I meet you in person to talk more about this job and to find out what expectations you have for petroleum engineers?

I'm available to meet at your convenience any weekday afternoon. Please phone me at 345-678-9999 to arrange time that works for you. Thank you for reading my materials and giving thought to having me fill the opening at Southeast Petroleum.

Sincerely, Anthony Hendricks

(from http://www.jobbankusa.com/resumes/cover_letters_free_samples/examples_templates_formats/petroleum_engineer.html)

6.9. Find on the website and read the job advertisement of the company you dream to work for. Write down your own Cover Letter.

1 . LEAD –IN

1. Read, think and answer the following questions.

1. Is it hard to write a good resume?

2. What is Curriculum Vitae (CV)?

3. Is there any difference between CV and resume?

4. Have you ever written CV?

1.2 Here are the most frequently asked questions about Resumes. Study them and discuss the possible answers.

I. RESUME BASICS

What is the purpose of a resume?

What are the absolute, unbreakable rules of resume writing?

What about "breakable rules" of resume writing?

Do I need more than one version of my resume?

What are the most important aspects of a resume?

II. RESUME COMPONENTS

What should be included on a resume?

What if my name is hard to pronounce or it fails to clarify my gender?

How should I list my address?

What other contact information do I need?

III. ELEMENTS TO SHARPEN A RESUME'S FOCUS

Why does a resume need to be sharply focused?

How can you sharpen the focus of your resume?

What are keywords and how should I use them in my resume?

What kinds of Licenses or Certifications should I list?

IV. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

What goes first education or experience?

What should I always list under the Education section?

How should my jobs be listed under the Experience section?

Should I list company names first or job titles first?

How should I list what I did in each job?

How do I handle multiple jobs with the same employer?

What if a former employer no longer exists or has changed its name?

What are transferable skills, and what is their significance on a resume?

What if I have no paid experience?

Which transferable skills are most in demand by employers?

V. Other resume sections and fine-tuning

What other sections could my resume include?

Should I list Hobbies and Interests?

Should I list References on my resume?

How should I handle references?

VI. Design and mechanics

How many pages should my resume be?

What are the most important design elements for a resume?

What kind of paper should I use?

How should I duplicate my resume?

How should I mail my resume?

How can I make sure I've covered all the bases with my resume?

Should I hire a professional resume writer?

(from http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_FAQ.html)

1.3 The Resume or CV is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking employment.

(from http://www.reference.com/browse/r%C3%A9sum%C3%A9)

2 . Vocabulary

2.1 Read and learn the words given below.

2.2 Match the English words with the Russian equivalents.

2.3 Complete the chart with the words. Translate the words into Russian, learn them by heart.

2.4 Fill in the blanks in the text 5 Steps to Resume Success with the words from the box.

5 Steps to resume success

Listed below are some ___1___ that will get your resume successfully through the ___2___ and make it more appealing to potential employers.

There are 5 steps to resume success.

Targeting

One of the easiest ways to ___3___ your resume is to ___4___ your qualifications at the top of the page. This keyword-based profile should position you for your ___5___ and focus on your job target's "core competencies" and critical keywords. When this summary is done right, your resume will not only be keyword optimized, but it will "sell" you more effectively to the human reader. If you have a diverse background, you'll ___6___ by preparing different ___7___ of your resume – each one aimed toward a different job target. Most employers prefer to ___8___ specialists, not "jacks-of-all-trades," so edit your resume accordingly. When deciding whether a particular item should be included, ask yourself: "Is this information ___9___? Does it verify or support my ability to contribute to an employer's operation?" If not, take it out.

Sequencing

Since you only have a few moments to get potential employers' attention, the sequence of your information is critical. For example, if you have recently ___10___ a college degree, your "Education" section should be placed near the top of the page. If your education is less impressive than your ___11___, place it at the bottom. If you have limited experience, you may want to include volunteer work or other activities that demonstrate organizational ability, ___12___, and other transferable job ___13___.

Accomplishments

Your resume should prominently highlight ___14___ and awards related to your career or recent academic performance. Employers are naturally attracted to high achievers (i.e., those who are willing to "go the extra mile"), so don't hesitate to describe your accomplishments or involvement in special projects. If there was ever a time to toot your own horn, this is it!

Resume Strategy

Deciding which type of resume is best for you can be a difficult task.

Resume Production

Resume writing is similar to other forms of writing: it requires proper planning, editing, rewriting, proofreading and more editing. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts! After you've completed the writing and editing, double-check all data, run it through a spelling checker and make sure the format is consistent. The next step is design and layout – and whether you like it or not, appearance does count! To ensure optimum readability, the resume should be expertly typeset in a professional, distinctive format.

(from http://blog.monsterindia.com/my/ritumalhotra08/5-Steps-to-Resume-Success-13773.html)

2.5 Read the text Types of Resume and translate the words in the brackets from Russian into English. Types of resume

The CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME is the standard, traditional format. It focuses primarily on employment history and presents your (1. опыт работы) in reverse chronological order. This type of resume is ideal if your job listings are impressive, your employment history is linear, and your (2. нынешнее положение) is directly related to your (3. карьерный путь). Because of their straightforward nature, chronological resumes are typically favored by (4. вербовщик) and (5. менеджеры по найму на работу).

FUNCTIONAL RESUMES focus on transferable skills and de-emphasize individual positions, job (6. обязанности) and employment dates. Functional styles are frequently used by (7. те, кто ищут работу) who have "holes" in their work history or want to make a career change. Their use should be (8. тщательно) weighed, though, as some employers consider them "less credible" than traditional resumes with a blow-by-blow employment history.

For many, the best approach is a COMBINATION RESUME with a functional summary and a chronological work history. This strategy is advantageous for most job seekers – and if done properly, allows employers to quickly see how your background qualifies you for the position. A combination resume also provides additional (9. гибкость) if you have multiple objectives, as the summary can be rewritten and "slanted" toward the (10. навыки) you want to emphasize.

(from http://www.reslady.com/resume-writing.html)

3 . Reading

3.1 Look through the text Resume Strategies and find the English equivalents to the Russian phrases in the text.

1) будущий работодатель; 2) усовершенстовать резюме; 3) руководство; 4) агентство по найму; 5) дополнительные усилия; 6) массовая отправка по почте; 7) принятый стандарт; 8) окупиться; 9) быть вежливым, обходительным; 10) написать заявление; 11) преодолевать трудности устройства на работу; 12) получит ответ.

RESUME STRATEGIES

How to Use Your Resume Effectively

A good resume is an important job search tool. But like any tool it is only as good as the person using it. Much has been said about selling your employment skills to a prospective employer. What it takes to accomplish this is job search skills. It is not enough to have the employment skills that an employer desires if you do not have the ability to market them.

Now that you have perfected your resume, there are some guidelines for using it effectively. Job search strategies range from the simple and common to the innovative and complex. Following are some of the more common strategies and guidelines. The successful job seeker will master these skills.

Give your resume to:

• Job Service

• Employers with advertised job openings

• Employers with no advertised job openings

• Private and public employment agencies

• Vocational and college placement offices

• Personal and professional networking contacts

• Your references

• Executive recruiters

Tips for using your resume:

• Resumes should be sent to a person by name. Avoid sending the resume to a job title such as "Production Manager." It will take an extra effort, but do your research and find out the name and title of the appropriate person to whom your resume should be sent.

• If you are asked to send your resume to Personnel or Human Resources, do so. Then also send a resume to the person in charge of the department in which you want to work. Most of the time Personnel does the screening; it is the department manager who is the final hiring authority.

• When mailing your resume always send it with a cover letter. Never send it by itself. Mass mailing your resume to many employers, hoping that a couple of them will get someone's attention, is not an effective strategy. The statistics are that for every 1000 resumes you send to an employer by name you can expect to get 2 interviews. Additionally, an accepted standard is that for every 10 interviews you will receive 1 job offer.

• Look for ways to target your resume to the specific needs of the employer. This can be accomplished with a targeted resume strategy or through the cover letter. It requires some research before sending the resume but it will pay off in an increased number of positive responses.

• When researching an employer or employment agency, among other important information, find out if they use a resume scanning system. If they do, it will help you prepare your resume for presentation.

• Always precede or follow up the sending of your resume with a phone call to the employer. Be courteous and professional and sell your qualifications. Be sure to ask for an interview. Send your resume to the employers even if they are not hiring. You never know what the future will bring.

• When directly contacting employers, always have a copy of your resume available and take the initiative to offer it to them.

• When applying for a job with an employment application you may want to attach your resume. The resume will add impact and should complement the application. If you are asked to fill out an application, never write on it "See resume." Take the time to fill out the application completely.

• Applying for jobs by resume can be an effective strategy to overcome employment barriers. The resume should paint the best picture of you, while the application may paint the worst.

• Give a copy of your resume to your references. It provides them with information about you and will help them to talk to an employer about your qualifications.

• Give a copy of your resume to all networking contacts. It is an excellent ice breaker to use the resume as a center for discussing your qualifications. Ask your contacts to critique your resume.

• Always bring extra copies of your resume to an interview.

• Finally, Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up!

It is no use mailing resumes if you do not take the time to follow up on your efforts. If you are not getting responses or interviews from your resume, you may want to reevaluate it. The true test of an effective resume is that you are offered interviews.

(from http://www.the-arnold-group.com/resume-effective.cfm)

3.2. Look through the text Resume Strategies and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) It is not enough to market skills an employer desires. 2) Avoid sending the resume to employers with no advertised job openings. 3) Executive recruiters are the final hiring authority. 4) The statistics are that for every ten resumes you send to an employer by name you will receive one job offer. 5) A resume scanning system will help you prepare your resume for presentation. 6) When you fill out the application don’t forget to remind your employer to see your resume.

3.3. Look through the text Resume Strategies again and answer the following questions.

1) Why is it not enough to have the employment skills than an employer desires? 2) Who is it better to send your resume? 3) How do you understand the phrase “most of the time Personnel does the screening”? 4) What is your chance to get interview when mass mailing your resume? 5) Should you send your resume to the employers if they are not hiring? 6) Why can applying for jobs by resume help to overcome employment barriers?

3.4 Read the Petroleum Engineer Resume given below. Find the positive sides in it that will help Amy Smith to be offered a Challenging Position as Petroleum Engineer in a Major Corporation.

AMY SMITH 123 Main Street • Atlanta, Georgia • 30339 Home: (555) 555-1234, Cell: (555) 555-1235 asmith@sample~resume.com

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Desire a Challenging Position as Petroleum Engineer in a Major Corporation

A highly talented and result-oriented Petroleum Engineer with a great deal of experience in drilling engineering and the design of vertical, horizontal and multilateral oil and gas wells. Proven expertise in the application of new drilling technology and under-balanced drilling.

Summary of Qualifications

• Over 12 years of Solid Drilling Experience.

• Uncommon organizational skills to plan and execute studies.

• Thorough knowledge of reservoir engineering fundamentals.

• Extensive offshore oil and gas experience.

• Extensive knowledge and experience in the design of vertical, horizontal and multilateral oil or gas wells.

• Unquestionable ability to apply appropriate reservoir engineering techniques.

• Solid Experience of reservoir engineering aspects of different reservoir systems.

• Excellent communication skills-written, verbal, and presentation skills.

• Strong background in contractual agreements for logging, testing.

• Excellent interpersonal skills.

• Deep knowledge and experience in the application of new drilling technologies and under-balanced drilling.

• Remarkable ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams consisting of drilling, completion, reservoir and production engineers.

• Strong downhole operation background.

• Sound Knowledge and experience with multiphase pump and downhole separation technology.

• Strong background in economic analysis.

• Excellent skills in productivity tools for the PC.

Professional Experience

Drilling Engineer

• Write drilling and work over programs for oil development, gas and water wells.

• Write well completion reports.

• Monitors daily drilling operations and provides technical and engineering support to drilling operations.

• Evaluate new drilling equipment and procedures to reduce cost and increase drilling efficiency.

• Initiate studies to solve drilling problems and recommend ideas to enhance drilling performance.

• Conduct technical reviews of projects related to either a broad or specific area of expertise and provide expert technical advice.

• Investigate and troubleshoot daily drilling related problems, find appropriate solutions and establish new procedures to prevent reoccurrence of problems.

• Evaluate new drilling practices, equipment and technologies and make sound conclusions and recommendations to reduce cost and enhance drilling efficiency.

• Conduct technical and economic studies as directed by management.

Reservoir Engineer

• Assisted in developing plans and proposals across the full life-cycle of oil and gas fields from exploration to abandonment, with the aim of optimizing use of company funds.

• Conducted reservoir engineering studies (including analytical and simulation techniques as appropriate) for client's operated and non-operated UK assets in order to provide the technical assessment necessary for management decision making.

• Analyzed production performance data and recommended activities in order to improve well performance and assisted in planning remedial well activity as required.

• Represented the client at (operated and non-operated) technical meetings, reviews, etc to Government as required.

• Documented technical work in a clear, concise and timely manner conforming to requirements and standards.

• Formulated field development strategies and proposed these to senior client personnel.

• Developed working relationships with partner representatives (for non-operated field interests) to effectively influence field development.

Junior Reservoir Engineer

• Monitored daily production data and recommended wells to be put on test or remedial work or data gathering programmes as necessary.

• Calibrated reservoir model; reviewed and analyzed existing and new well data in detail.

• Provided support to current drilling programme from production forecasts for economic justification through to technical/wellsite support during the testing phase and then incorporated the new data into an updated reservoir model.

• Assisted in compiling the field development plan, together with providing technical support during the appraisal/ development drilling phase as appropriate on additional fields.

• Advised and managed other operated exploration.

• Provided specific help relating to HP/HT developments.

• Assisted in the preparation of the annual reserves handbook.

• Assisted with extensive pre-development work on various assets.

Education and Professional Certification Certified Engineer New York University, NY MS Petroleum Engineering (1995) New York University, NY Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering (1992)

(from http://www.jobbankusa.com/resumes/free_samples/examples_templates_formats/petroleum_engineer.html)

4 . LISTENING

4.1 The words and phrases in the box come up in the text. Guess or look up in the dictionary any new words you do not know.

4.2 Read the following sentences and say what the main tasks of the petroleum engineer are.

The petroleum engineer:

a) analyses data from geophysical surveys

b) makes sure that oil surfaces from reservoirs safely and efficiently

c) builds up a picture of the strata from which oil is to be extracted

d) analyses drilling performance and efficiency.

e) analyses whether an oil field is economic

4.3 Listen to Barry Hampton, a careers adviser of the petroleum company, talking on the important things necessary for a petroleum engineer. Check if your answers are correct according to the text.

4.4 Listen to Barry Hampton again and say which of the following skills are mentioned in the text.

a) a methodical approach

b) mathematical and analytical abilities

c) team-leading skills

d) enthusiasm and commitment to each project

e) the ability to take responsibility for mistakes

f) supervisory skills

g) the ability to explain complex processes in simple terms

h) computer literacy

i) good business skills

g) the ability to motivate self and others

k) the ability to pay close attention to detail whilst retaining a broad perspective

l) excellent verbal and written communications skills for meeting, reports, negotiations.

4.5 Listen to Mandy Dunwoody on important things on a graduate CV. Arrange the following guidelines according to the text.

a. Use your CV to draw attention to your career skills

b. Things to leave off your CV

c. CV layout and presentation 

d. How long should your CV be? 

e. Prioritise relevant information

f. Go into detail

g. The important things on a graduate CV 

4.6 Listen to Mandy Dunwoody again and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) Include only necessary personal information. 2) Keep your CV short – don’t write more than two pages. 3) Put the most relevant thing you have to offer early in your CV. 4) Don't offer explanations for leaving prior employers. 5) Teamwork and time-management are transferable skills. 6) Don't include personal references or hobbies. 7) There is a 99% chance recruiters will review your resume on a PC monitor. 8) Don’t use all capital letters. 9) Use A4 paper. 10) Include your name and page number on each page of your page CV.

5 . Speaking

5.1 Study the headings and categories commonly used in cVs and answer the questions given below.

1. Which one means:

1. basic facts about you? __________________________________________

2. practical abilities? ______________________________________________

3. where you live most of the time? __________________________________

4. what you do in your free time? ___________________________________

5. when you were born? ___________________________________________

6. Mr, Mrs, Ms, or Dr? ____________________________________________

7. details about your working life? ___________________________________

8. if you are married or single? _____________________________________

9. people who can tell us about your qualifications and character? __________

10. Proof that you have successfully completed a course? __________________

11. schools and colleagues? _________________________________________

12. family name? _________________________________________________

2. Which information is not usually asked for in your country? Should you give any information that is not mentioned here?

5.2 What mistakes can you make on your resume? Study the real-life example and comment them.

1. P ERSONAL: Married, 1992 Chevrolet.

2. PERSONAL: I'm married with 9 children. I don't require prescription drugs.

3. MARITAL STATUS: Often. Children: Various.

4. MARITAL STATUS: single. Unmarried. Unengaged. Uninvolved. No commitments.

5. I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely nothing and absolutely no one.

6. I am loyal to my employer at all costs...Please feel free to respond to my resume on my office voicemail.

7. EDUCATION: College, August 1880-May 1984.

8. QUALIFICATIONS: No education or experience.

9. I intentionally omitted my salary history. I've made money and lost money. I've been rich and I've been poor. I prefer being rich.

10. REASONS FOR LEAVING THE LAST JOB: a) Responsibility makes me nervous. b) They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning. Couldn't work under those conditions. c) The company made me a scapegoat - just like my three previous employers.

11. SPECIAL REQUESTS & JOB OBJECTIVES: Please call me after 5:30 because I am self-employed and my employer does not know I am looking for another job.

12. PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: Minor allergies to house cats and Mongolian sheep.

13. Failed bar exam with relatively high grades.

14. Let’s meet , so you can ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over my experience.

(from http://www.funny2.com/resume.htm)

5 .3 Study Resume-writing and Resume strategy quizzes to test your knowledge about resumes.

Resumes are a fundamental tool for every job-seeker, yet we still see so many poorly written resumes. How strong is your resume? Put it to the test! And while you're at it, test your resume strategy skills as well! Summarize the information and share your ideas with your partners.

Resume Writing Quiz: Entry-level Job-Seeker/New Graduate - new graduates and other younger job-seekers often struggle a bit in developing a strong resume. How confident are you in your resume-writing abilities? Take this quiz and test your resume-writing prowess.

• Resume Writing Quiz: Experienced Job-Seekers - even experienced job-seekers may not be current on the latest trends and developments in resume writing. How confident are you in your resume-writing abilities? Take this quiz and test your resume-writing prowess.

• Resume Writing Quiz: Career Changers - career-changers face some tough decisions when developing your resume for your new career field. How confident are you in your resume-writing abilities? Take this quiz and test your resume-writing prowess.

• Resume Strategy Quiz - it's one thing to know how to write a good resume, but once you've developed a solid resume, do you know how best to use it? Take our challenge and test your knowledge of resume strategy!

5.4 Your friend is searching for a new job. Talk with him and tell him all you know about resume writing and resume strategy.

6 Writing

6.1 Study the plan of the Curriculum Vitae. Curriculum Vitae Format

Your Contact Information Name, Address, Telephone, Cell Phone, Email

Personal Information Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Citizenship, Visa Status, Gender

Optional Personal Information Marital Status, Spouse's Name, Children

Employment History List in chronological order, include position details and dates, Work History, Academic Positions, Research and Training

Education Include dates, majors, and details of degrees, training and certification, High School, University, Graduate School, Post-Doctoral Training

Professional Qualifications Certifications and Accreditations, Computer Skills

Awards

Publications

Books

Professional Memberships

Interests

6.2 Study the cv given below. What do you like and what do you dislike in it? curriculum vitae

Name : Svenn Kjetil Haveland

Date of birth : 1973

Nationality : Norwegian

Languages : Norwegian, English, (Knowledge to German)

Profession : Electronics engineer

Position : Manager

Employed by SIEMENS : June 1996

Summary : Today I am Manager for Engineering Department in Bergen in Siemens Oil & Gas Offshore AS. Personnel responsibility for approximately 100 persons divided on 6 Department Managers. Responsible for budgets, competence, recruitment and resource allocation to our projects. The first 10 years in Siemens I worked with Information Management and communication systems towards oil platforms. Most of the time being a technical coordinator, I have been working with technology involving programming, database administration, configuration and offshore commissioning. In addition I've had administrative responsibility like project manager, co-ordination, planning, document and version control and in-house education.

Education

1993 - 1996 : Engineering education at Hoeyskolen in Bergen, department of electronics.

1989 - 1992 : University Entry Exam at Fyllingsdalen.

Courses

2006 : Course in understanding of the oil process SIMATIC PCS 7 System Course

2004 : Personal Management / HES course

1999 : AspenTech InfoPlus.21 fundamentals Course

1998 : MS Project 98 Introduction Course

1997 : Oracle Structure Query Language Course

Certificates and Offshore Courses

2007 February : Renewal Offshore Safety Course

2004 August : Health certificate renewed – valid to 2006

2003 : Safe job analysis Course

Experience

Sept 2006 – present : Manager for Engineering in Bergen in Oil & Gas Division.

Personnel responsibility for approximately 90-100 persons divided on 6 Department Managers.

Responsible of supplying necessary qualified engineering personnel as required for execution of projects according to agreed MPP (Manpower Projection Plan). Direct recruitment and co-operating with domestic and international partners to hire resources. Economic responsibility regarding productivity targets, rates, internal funds etc. Responsible for competence evolution both technological and in working methodology.

Fiscal year 2007-2008:

Increase in personnel from 85 to 102, while maintained to keep the consultant degree at approximately 35 %. Expanded our areas to building facilities near by. I was part of the team for implementation of Vision & Values in the Siemens Oil & Gas Offshore organisation. Established uniform introduction programs for new employees.

Fiscal year 2006-2007:

Established and got in production new local management for the department in Bergen. Established new resource handling with scheduled meetings. Established automatic tools for validation and control of SAP man-hours.

Apr 2006 – Aug 2006 : Department Manager on Technical Department as described below.

Participation in Visund Subsea Changeover study and bid: Analysing and describing scope of work, consequences, risks, plans and cost for exchanging existing Subsea Control Units and Hydraulics Power Unit. This is the first PCS 7 Node on Visund which is replaced along with Subsea Electronic Modules and Subsea Power Control Units from Aker Kvarner Subsea.

Sept 2003 – Mar 2006 : Department Manager on Technical Department:

Personnel responsibility for a group of approximately 15 persons.

Planning resource needs and acquiring resources (CVs, interviews, contracts etc.).

IMS work: Bid work, co-ordination, customer presentations, end user support and technical work in Information Management System (IMS). Technical and administrative support for projects and Operational Support Department.

Jan 2003 – Aug 2003 : Statoil, Information Management System (IMS)

Worked in Vigdis Extension Subsea project on the IMS part towards the Snorre TLP platform. Project Manager, system configuration, application development and offshore commissioning.

May 2002 – Dec 2002 : Norsk Hydro, Information Management System (IMS)

Bid work and participation in a project for delivery of the IMS for Snorre TLP. This system is based on object oriented technology, event-driven communication and up to date system engineering methods. AspenTechs InfoPlus.21 database is used for collection and storage of process data.

Nov. 1999 – May 2002 : Norsk Hydro, Oil Production Information System (OPIS)

Responsible for establishing procedures for version control and handling of oftware changes. Bid work, coordinating, follow-ups and technical implementation of functionality modifications for all six OPIS platforms.

Participation and technical responsible in subsea extension projects.

Sept. 1998 – Sept. 1999 : Norsk Hydro, Oil Production Information System (OPIS)

Continuing on the project as described below, but got more responsibility in planning and co-ordination of the OPIS team members for activities in the basis project and towards the platforms Visund, Oseberg Øst, Troll C and Oseberg Sør. Also engaged in teaching new personnel and supervising course for users of the system.

Oct. 1997 – Aug. 1998 : Norsk Hydro, Oil Production Information System (OPIS)

In this project we use a hierarchical database from Hewlett Packard called RTAP (Real Time Application Platform) to collect process data from the DISCOS control and monitoring system. We also use an Oracle relation database for historical storage of process data. Both these databases run on a separated HP UNIX server, while the user-interface is built on Windows NT clients. I got involved in most of the technical parts of the project:

- Building and configuring the RTAP-database for data collection and export.

- Making C-program for communication between the databases.

- Configuring Oracle-tables with information needed in the client-software, based on System Control Diagram (SCD) and communication with the customer.

In addition to this I was responsible for the technical coordination in adapting the system to the Oseberg Øst platform. In this connection one of my tasks was to handle a system for registration and control of documents and source-code.

April – June 1997 : Pemex, Cantarell – 5 RPUs. Commissioning in Mexico.

Participated in commissioning in the Cantarell project. In all 9 weeks in Mexico onshore and offshore to install RPUs on 5 different platforms and upgrade microprocessor-programs on 2 additional platforms. My tasks involved installing the C++ program and get the hardware to play, upgrading some microprocessors and making databases over process data for the new equipment.

Nov. 1996 – Mars 1997 : Pemex, Cantarell - 5 RPUs.

Attended Cantarell project vs. the Mexican petroleum company Pemex. Familiar with the concept and the hardware-solutions on the Remote Processing Unit (RPU) based on two Simatic 115U with CP581, and remote I/O ET200. Worked with the

supervising applications (SMS) and manipulated the databases with process information (DbGen). Worked with documentation and participated in the FAT. Knowledge of the C++ program that is responsible of the data-traffic and redundancy-operations. This is a DOS-program implemented on the CP581. Built application programs using Delphi 2.0 for Win95.

June – July 1996 : Windows-programming.

Studied programming in Windows 3.11 environment with Borland C++ 3.1 and Paradox 5.0 for windows. Touched areas like Windows handles, Dynamic Data Exchange, Database management, data communications and 3964-protocol.

(from http://haveland.info)

6.3 Write down your own CV

1 . LEAD – IN

1. What words are associated with the word COMPANY.

1.2 Discuss these questions.

1) How many different ways of organizing or structuring a company can you think of? 2) If you work for a company or organization, how would you describe the company structure?

2 . VOCABULARY

2.1 Read the words and phrases given below and learn them by heart.

Organization

Types of Companies

Jobs

2.2 Companies are involved in many activities, for example buying, selling, marketing and production, in a range of different industries, such as information technology, telecommunications, film and car manufacture. Many well-known companies are multinationals, these are companies which operate in a number of countries. Multinationals often have a complicated structure. There is usually a parent or holding company. This company owns other companies or parts of other companies. These other companies are called subsidiaries.

2.3 What sort of company is it? Match the type of organization (1-12) with its correct description (a-l). Give the Russian equivalents to these companies.

2.4 Study the abbreviation given below and match it with the type of company that has it in its name.

2.5 Match the English and Russian equivalents.

Staff – штат, служащие, рабочие

Income – доход

Tax – налог

2.6 Say how these words are formed:

Vice-president, vice-consul, international, multinational, reorganization, director, president, officer, corporation, development, responsible

2.7 Complete the chart with the words. Translate the words into Russian, learn them by heart.

2.8 Complete each sentence with the words made from the words in capitals. The company

2.9 Read the information given below. Fill in the blanks in the text Company Structure with the words given in the box. Do companies in your country have the same structure?

Company structures

Most companies are made up of three groups of people: the ___1___ (who provide the capital), the ___2___, and the ___3___. The management structure of a typical company is shown in the following ___4___ chart:

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(Headed by the Chairperson)

MANAGING DIRECTOR

SENIOR MANAGEMENT

MIDDLE MANAGEMENT

At the top of the company ___5___ is the Board of Directors, headed by the ___6___ (or President). The Board is responsible for making policy ___7___ and for determining the company's strategy. It usually appoints a ___8___ (or Chief Executive Officer) who has overall responsibility for the running of the business. Senior managers head the various ___9___ or functions within a ___10___, which may include the following: Marketing, Finance, Public Relations, Production, Personnel (or Human Resources), Research and Development (R&D).

3 . Reading

3.1 Look through the text Companies and choose the correct answer in the sentences given after it. Companies

А. Sole proprietorship (UK) / individual proprietorship (US):

Sole proprietors are individuals carrying out economic operations in various spheres of business activities (industrial, trade, transport, banking etc.) and concluding commercial deals on their own behalf.

The legal form is not to be indicated in the name of the firm. The hired staff are not referred to as proprietors.

The proprietors must be registered the trade register, obtain a license to carry out business activities and keep the books reflecting the results of the latter. The contents of the books are a commercial secret not accessible to a third party. In case of a lawsuit the books can be open for the court and the parties concerned provided the proprietor acts either as a plaintiff or a defendant. Also, the books can be made public in case of either insolvency or inheritance.

Sole proprietors are not subject to public report therefore it is not possible to get true information of their activities.

The sole proprietor is not a legal person and is fully liable with his property by the obligations of his firm. Millions of sole proprietors in the world carry out business activities mainly in the sphere of various services and retail trade.

B. Unlimited Partnership (UK). General Partnership (US):

The main feature of unlimited partnerships is equal and collective responsibility for the property for all members of the partnership, in other words, creditors can be paid either at the expense of the partnership's property or private property of the members. Besides, the agreement can not provide for the exception of property liability of any of the members before a third party. The property of the unlimited partnership is a joint property of its members.

The profit obtained is distributed proportionately to the share of participation in the property of the partnership. Concession of the share of participation can be made only with the consent of the members. The number of the members of the partnership is not limited.

The unlimited partnership can be disbanded either in case of insolvency or resignation of one of its members or by resolution of all participants. Unlimited partnerships are not subject to public report.

C. Limited Partnership (UK,US):

The limited partnership is a contractual union of entrepreneurs participating only by way of contributions without taking direct part in the management (investors); and those who, apart from contributing, carry out direct management of the partnership and are fully liable by the partnership's obligations with their own property (full members).

It takes at least one full member and one investor to form a limited partnership. The limited partnership is to be registered just like any unlimited partnership.

The name of the partnership includes the names of one or two full members; the including of the name of the investor into the firm's name makes the investor equally and jointly liable by the partnership's obligations.

D. Master Limited Partnership (MLP):

Master limited partnerships carry out business activities on the basis of a Charter and are to be registered. One or more full members and shareholders as investors make a partnership. Shares can either be sold to or distributed among the investors or quoted on the stock exchange. Full members run the partnership and are liable by the partnership's obligations. The shareholders run the risk of devaluation of their shares. A legal person can act as a full member. Thus a master limited partnership bears characteristics both of a limited partnership and a public limited company. The advantage of a master limited partnership is in getting additional income through an issue of securities and their subsequent sale on the securities' market. Dividends are tax exempt, so the investors are mainly attracted by a tax regime of master limited partnerships which pay only income tax.

E. Private Limited Company (UK.). Close Corporation (US):

A private limited company has the word 'Limited' or the abbreviation 'Ltd' in its name. A private limited company should be registered under the Companies Act and act in compliance with its Charter. The company is a legal person fully liable by the company's obligations. The equity capital of the company is formed at the expense of deposits; the shareholders get a certificate of deposit which is not considered to be a security and as a rule can not be assigned to third persons without the consent of other shareholders of the company, that provides for the close character of the company. There are private limited companies with a single shareholder.

There is one more circumstance that limits the financial rights and hence production opportunities of the private limited companies: they are not allowed to issue debentures and announce public subscription for their shares.

Private limited companies keep statutory books which are not subject to public report. The number of members of the company is not large, usually consisting of close relatives or people knowing each other well, who united for business.

F. Public Limited Company (UK). Corporation (US):

Public limited company is the main legal form of large firms. A pubic limited company is a union of investors called shareholders. It carries out business activities on the basis of the Articles of Association and is to be registered under the Companies Act. Any legal person or an individual can be a founder of the company. The shareholders are not liable by the company's obligations. The public limited company is the most stable kind of unification of capitals as the resignation of any of its investors does not involve the liquidation of the company. The investor has a right to sell his shares without consent of other shareholders.

The initial share capital is formed by way of selling shares. During that period the initial share capital is the only source of financing of its activities. The means obtained from the sale of shares are used for the purchase of plots of land, industrial premises and offices, equipment, basic commodities (raw materials) to launch manufacturing activities. Therefore the company receives an income and also can be financed by way of issuing debentures and securing bank loans.

Thus a number of advantages make a public limited company the most effective means of concentration and centralization of capital goods and capital. The shareholders can return their capital only by way of selling shares at the price currently quoted on the stock exchange.

The shareholders have property and personal rights. Property rights are realised in case of liquidation of a company and in case of getting dividends. Personal rights mean the right to vote; normally a share gives a right for one vote. The decisions are to be taken by a large majority, hence the person or a legal person holding the majority interest is the one who makes resolutions. Public limited companies' names must have the abbreviation 'pic' in their name.

1. A partner is………

a) Any person who signs any kind of legal document.

b) A person or group of people who take part in a legal agreement or dispute.

c) One of two or more people who run a business.

2. The investor of the public company has a right to sell the shares belonging to him:

a) Only with the permission of the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

b) Without the consent of other shareholders of the company.

c) Only to the shareholders of the same company with the resolution of the shareholders' meeting to follow.

3. A sole / individual proprietor is………

a) The managing director of the company,

b) An individual carrying out economic operations in different spheres of business activities and concluding commercial deals on his own behalf

c) A hired person who is in charge of the operation of the company.

3.3 Look through the texts again and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) Everyone can get true information of the activities of the sole proprietorship. 2) Sole proprietors carry our business activities in retail trade. 3) The property of the unlimited partnership is a joint property of its members. 4) The number of the members of the unlimited partnership is unlimited. 5) The number of the members of the limited partnership is limited. 6) The investor whose name is used in the firm’s name becomes liable by the partnership’s obligations. 7) Full members of the master limited partnership run the risk of devaluation of the shares. 8) Master limited partnership pays only income tax. 9) A private limited company is a company with a single shareholder. 10) All private limited companies should be registered under the Companies Act. 11) Any person can be a founder of the public limited company. 12) The investor of the public limited company can sell his shares without consent of other shareholders.

3.4 Read the text again and answer the following questions.

1) What is a sole proprietorship? 2) Must the name of the sole proprietors be indicated in the name of the firm? 3) Are people hired to work in the sole proprietorships considered to be proprietors? 4) In what cases can the books of the sole proprietorships be made public? 5) Why is it not possible to get true information of the activities of the sole proprietorships? 6) In which spheres of business do sole proprietorships normally work? 7) What is the main feature of an unlimited partnership? 8) In what way is the profit obtained distributed in the unlimited partnership? 9) In what case can the unlimited partnership be disbanded? 10) What is a limited partnership? 11) How many people does it take to form a limited partnership? 12) What are the peculiarities of the name of the limited partnership firm? 13) Why do master limited partnerships bear the features both of the limited partnership and a joint-stock company? 14) What is the advantage of a master limited partnership? 15) Which feature is attractive for investors in master limited partnerships? 16) What is a private limited company? 17) What kind of abbreviation must private limited companies have in their names? 18) How is the equity capital of the private limited companies formed? 19) What factor provides for the close character of the private limited companies? 20) What are the circumstances limiting financial rights and production opportunities of the private limited companies? 21) What is the public limited company? 22) Who can be the founder of the public limited company? 23) Are the shareholders liable by the company’s obligations? 24) Does the investor to the public limited company need to get a special permit to sell his shares? 25) What is the role of the initial capital for the public limited company? 26) What is the additional way of financing business for the publicly held company? 27) What factors make the public limited company the best form of concentration and centralization of capital goods and capital? 28) How can the shareholders of the public limited companies realize their property rights? 29) What are the rights of the shareholders in public limited company? 30) How many votes in one share is equal to? 31) Is a person or a legal person holding the majority interest is the most powerful in the public limited company? 32) What kind of abbreviation must public limited companies have in their names? 33) What is the difference between the private limited company and the public limited company?

4 . Listening

4.1 Match the information about these companies to the correct company logo.

4.2 Listen to the text Oil Companies and check if your answers are correct.

4.3 The words and phrases in the box come up in the text about bp plc. Guess or look up in the dictionary any new words you do not know.

4.4. The British Petroleum Company

Read the text about British Petroleum Company. Can you guess what activities the personnel of the company is involved in?

O ne of the five largest oil companies in the world, BP plc (The British Petroleum Company) is the United Kingdom's largest corporation. The pioneer of the Middle Eastern oil industry, BP discovered oil in Iran before World War I and eventually became involved in all aspects of the oil industry, from exploration to marketing. By the mid-1990s, it was producing over 1.2 million barrels of oil and 1.5 million cubic feet of natural gas every day. "Downstream" operations--oil refining and marketing--contributed the lion's share (over four-fifths) of BP's revenues in the mid-1990s. BP is familiar to most people by virtue of its more than 16,400 service stations around the world, but it also has significant interests in oil exploration (generating 13 percent of revenues) as well as production of chemicals and plastics (about seven percent of sales).

(from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/34/The-British-Petroleum-Company-plc.html)

Listen to the BP’s group chief executive Tony Hayward who is talking on the BP activities. Arrange the following guidelines according to the text.

1. Moving oil and gas

2. Selling fuels and products

3. Extracting oil and gas

4. Working responsibly

5. Oil and gas exploration

6. Generating low carbon energy

4.5 Listen to Tony Hayward again and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) Over the past 180 years, oil companies and prospectors have drilled more than two million wells around the world. 2) BP company uses sophisticated technologies and tried-and-true techniques to find oil and gas under the earth’s surface. 3) After they put drill to soil they use typographical maps, aerial photography, sound waves, and other tools to help them form an educated guess about the size, shape and consistency of the oil or natural gas that lies underneath. 4) Planning and building a production facility they take environmental, social and logistical factors into account. 5) Scientific techniques help them reach deeper and deeper into reservoirs, helping them to extract more of the resources within it. 6) They transport crude oil only in pipelines. 7) The company provides fuel for all kinds of transport. 8) Power plants produce much more carbon dioxide as all the world’s transport put together. 9) The company has a long-term commitment to the communities they work within.

10) They all time try to improve their own organization.

5 Speaking

5.1 Imagine you are working for Lukoil. Introduce yourself and tell a few words about this company with the help of the words and phrases given in the box.

5.2 Read what five people talk about their companies and match the descriptions with the names of the companies. Discuss with your partner what company you would prefer to work for. Give your arguments.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco)

Murphy Oil Corporation

Surgutnefetegaz

Fossil Oil and Gas Management, LLC

5 .3 Work with a partner. Each of you should choose a different company and job for yourself. Get as much as possible information of your partner’s company.

5.4 Think about the well-known company in the world, your country or city. What is this company? What are its main activities? Does it specialize in one industry sector or it is diversified?

6 WRITING

6.1 Study the information given below on how to write a good Announcement Letter.

How to write an announcement letter

An announcement letter is a type of letter used for a number of business and personal situations. In business, an announcement letter can be written for a number of purposes - key events requiring an announcement letter to staff and/or customers would be a change in management, a new policy, the launch of a new product, or financial summaries for investors.

In writing a professional announcement letter, consider the following:

1. Write in a concise and straightforward manner.

2. Consider the goals of you announcement letter. You are not only making a statement (such as announcing a new product), you are also building goodwill, improving customer confidence, and creating new business relations.

3. Ensure that your announcement letter contains all the necessary facts, but not extra information that muddies your purpose.

4. If you have to make an announcement of bad news (for instance, less than satisfactory stock results), be direct and optimistic for the future.

(from http://www.whitesmoke.com/how-to-write-an-annoucement-letter.html)

6.2 Make up the Announcement Letter filling in the blanks with the phrases given after the letter.

__1___

___2___ that our company has recently been accepted a leading supplier of wholesale gasoline and wholesale diesel to the continental United States.

This ___3___ because we offer turnkey wholesale diesel fuel and wholesale gasoline fuel service at levels that separate us from the other fuel traders across the nation and service ___4___ our customers.

To mark the event we provide discount fuel to commercial, government, and wholesale customers of all sizes if ___5___ before 1^st August. We are sending you our latest pricelist ___6___.

We look forward to maintaining the special relationship we have with our customers and to continuing to ___7___ the prompt service and quality products ___8___.

___9___

J Miller, Export Manager

1. Обращение

   Dear Sir

   Dear Sir/Madam

   Dear Customer

2. Сообщение новости:

   We are announcing

   We are pleased to announce

   This is just to let you know

3. Объяснение причин:

   is because

   was rewarded for

   is recognition of

4. «мы всегда стремимся,…»:

   we give

   we always strive to offer

   we are offering

5. «если вы размещаете заказ»:

   you place your order

   you give your order

   you pass your order

6. «в отдельном письме»:

   enclose

   soon

   under separate cover

7. Поставлять клиентам:

   give them

   furnish them with

   provide them with

8. «к которым они привыкли»:

   they are accustomed to

   which they are accustomed

   they want

9. Заключительная формула прощания;

Best wishes

Yours faithfully

Yours sincerely

6.3 Study the Important Language given below.

Important language to remember

СООБЩЕНИЕ О СОБЫТИИ

ПРЕДОСТАВЛЕНИЕ ОСОБЫХ УСЛОВИЙ

ПОДЧЕРКИВАНИЕ ПРЕИМУЩЕСТВ

ВЫРАЖЕНИЕ БЛАГОДАРНОСТИ

6.4 Study the Announcement Letter given below. Analyze its structure and find its strengths and weaknesses.

Victoria Oil & Gas Plc

('VOG' or 'the Company')

 (AIM: VOG)

"Dear Shareholder,

As another year begins, it is again my pleasure to update you on the progress of Victoria Oil and Gas (VOG). I believe that this year will be a special one for the natural resources industry as a whole and for our company in particular. However, with uncertainty still stalking the market, success will be awarded only on progress.

Logbaba, Cameroon

We had a very good start to the New Year with news that our first well at the exciting Logbaba project in Cameroon has been logged and completed. In a little over 12 months, VOG has completed the first ever production well in the onshore Douala Basin  and in doing so now leads the field in the onshore development of Cameroon's huge hydrocarbon potential.

As we reported on 6 January, total depth of 8,920 feet was reached at Well La-105 on New Year's Day and the well encountered multiple gas-bearing sands with an aggregate pay of approximately 300 feet in the Upper Cretaceous between 6,000 and 8,330 feet. The well was logged and confirmed the presence of at least 65 feet of very good quality gas-bearing sandstone reservoir plus at least an additional 260 feet of gas-bearing sands that may prove to be productive when tested. La-105 has now been completed as a production well and we will test the gas-bearing horizons while drilling the next well, La-106.

Well La-106 was spudded on 6 February as a twin to La-101, the first well to be drilled in Logbaba by Elf back in 1955. At the time Elf were investigating the numerous oil-seeps around the Douala area and drilled their first well on a natural anticline on the eastern outskirts of the city. Unprepared for the high pressure gas zones that it was to encounter, La-101 blew out and ran uncontrolled for 38 days at a rate estimated to being close to 24 million cubic feet of gas per day. When finally brought under control, the well was completed and tested at depths of approximately 5,780 - 5,800 feet at a rate of 15 million cubic feet and 258 barrels of condensate per day.

I am pleased to report that drilling progress at La-106 has been excellent and we have today reached a depth of 976 meters (3,200 feet measured depth) and are setting the 13-3/8 inch casing. We have learned some lessons of our first well and, with a more experienced drilling team in place, progress has so far been trouble free.

Following the exciting results of the passive seismic spectroscopy survey announced on 4 February 2010, La-106 will be deviated to a bottom-hole location around 390 metres north-west of La-101 to access one of the most prospective areas of the existing discovery. The proposed total depth is approximately 8,700 feet (measured depth) and drilling is anticipated to take around 60 days.

Both La-105 and La-106 are targeting existing discoveries and as such, the vast majority of the block remains unexplored. How to assess Logbaba's true potential has been a point of much internal discussion in VOG since we acquired the field over a year ago and the first step on this path is close to completion. GeoDynamics Research's IPDS passive seismic spectroscopy survey was finished in December and took 74 measurements in total and their report is now available on our website. The data suggests that not only do the best areas in the existing discovery still await penetration, but that a significantly larger exploration prospect lies about three kilometres from our current location and entirely within our licence block. This is the first time this prospect has been identified, and is not included in the volumetric estimates from RPS. If this analysis proves to be correct, this will considerably change the size and future of your Company.

Once data from testing is available, we will be able to complete the engineering design of the gas processing facilities and pipeline to take our production to the market. Our primary goal is to bring in revenues as soon as possible and so we are looking to design an integrated programme, which will be flexible enough to adapt to the changing nature of the field as it is exploited. Likewise, we are working closely with the local consumers to tailor the pipeline construction process to the demands of the market and the needs of our shareholders.

It is worth noting that, although the gas pipeline will be a modest undertaking in terms of size and scale, it will be one of the only such pipelines in all of sub-Saharan Africa. This gives some sense of what an achievement this will be for VOG, Cameroon and the potential of natural gas as an energy source in Africa. It is also important to stress that our plan is to fund this leg of Logbaba's development with debt or trade financing and not to tax further our shareholders. We have already had interest from a number of local and international banks in this regard and will be able to crystallise these as solid data from the wells becomes available.

West Medvezhye, Russia

With all the disruption caused by the exceptionally cold weather in the UK recently, it is worth keeping in mind the conditions that our team in Nadym normally has to cope with. Between the start of the winter in December to the thaw in late April temperatures below -40 degrees are not uncommon and yet this is actually the time when much of our operations need to take place.

Advanced preparations for an IPDS passive seismic spectroscopy survey on the north-eastern section of the block are already underway, even though it is likely that conditions will not allow the survey itself to take place until March at the earliest. In the meantime, we will focus on necessary permitting, import of equipment and construction of the ice roads to the exploration area.

We are also considering a further low-cost exploration tool: surface geochemical analysis and gas tomography. Like passive seismic spectroscopy, this is a hydrocarbon indicator and has been extensively used in the Siberian tundra as a method of de-risking large areas of unexplored acreage prior to a conventional seismic survey or drilling. Once the data from these surveys has been analysed, we will be able to pick our targets for the next wells.

Outlook

As we are drilling our second well and soon begin to test our first, we are laying the cornerstones of our integrated strategy for marketing and monetisation of the resource. We still have a great deal of work to do before we see first revenues but there will be no let-up in our dedication to the project. Delineation of the resources from the passive seismic spectroscopy is obviously excellent news and highlights that the true potential of Logbaba is still to be discovered.

Kevin Foo

Chairman

(from http://telegraph.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/201002170700042479H.html)

6 .5 Study the websites devoted to different types of Announcement Letter.

Announcement of Additional Location Announcement of Business Name Change

Announcement of Change of Address for Billing Announcement of Clearance Sale Announcement of Free Delivery Limitations Change

Announcement of New Business Opening Announcement of New Discount Announcement of New Pricing Policy Announcement of Partnership Buyout Announcement of Price Increase Announcement of Price Reduction Announcement of Special Discount Offer

6.6 Write down your own Announcement Letter.

1 . LEAD-IN

1. What words are associated with the word CULTURE?

2. Have you even heard about company culture? What are its main features? Why should job-seekers care about a potential employer’s company culture? Aren’t there more important factors to consider, such as the job itself, salary, bonuses and benefits?

3. Look through the definitions given below, match the type of the culture with its definition. Give your own definition of company culture.

2 . Vocabulary

2.1 Read the words given below and learn them by heart.

2.2 Match the English and Russian equivalents

2.3 Complete the chart with the words. Translate the words into Russian, learn them by heart.

2.4 Match the parts of the words to make a new combined word. Translate it into Russian and learn by heart.

2.5 Fill in the blanks in the text What is Company Culture? with the words from the box.

What is company culture?

A company's culture is its ___1___. It tells people how to do their work. It takes its signals from leaders. It underlies motivation, morale, ___2___, and ___3___ success. How do you manage it?

Company culture is the distinctive personality of the organization. It ___4___ how members act, how energetically they ___5___, problem solving, innovation, ___6___, productivity, and quality. It is a company's culture that makes it safe (or not safe) for a person, division or the whole company to raise issues and solve problems, ___7___, or to move in new, ___8___. A company's culture is often ___9___ of difficult people-related problems such as motivation, morale, absenteeism, communications, teamwork, retention, injuries, and ___10___.

(from http://www.companyculture.com/basics/whatis.htm)

2.6 Complete each sentence with the words from the words in capitals.

(from http://www.deoluakinyemi.com/the-smell-of-a-place-brandfaces-article-002/)

2.7 Read the text The Two Halves of Culture and translate the words given in the brackets into English. The two halves of culture

Company cultures have two halves, the Human and the Operations. The key to building a more engaged and productive (1. рабочее место), is balancing these—balancing what we do with how we do it.

The human, or top-half of culture, includes feelings, (2. общение), and (3. ценности). The operational half includes everything that is not distinctively human, such as (4. оборудование) and processes.

The human half carries the why and how of culture. For example, we do things because they (5.отвечают нашим желаниям), and we do things through communications and (6. отношения). The bottom half, or operational half, contains what we do. For example we build a bridge, we (7. производить продукты), we sell goods at a retail outlet, we move production (8. на берег).

People’s attitudes are more affected by how things are done than by what is done.

Balancing the Two Halves—What and How

What we might change is a production line. How we do it might involve—or not involve—the people affected by the change.

People’s attitudes are more affected by how things are done than by what is done. Managers can mostly control how they do things. People usually don't mind changes if they are involved in them. On the other hand, if the changes are made by (9. старшие менеджеры), and then announce to (10. работники), they will be unhappy. Balancing the culture means paying attention to how you do what you do.

(from http://www.companyculture.com/basics/twohalves.htm)

2.8 How does a company culture affect you? Fill in the missing letters in the words given below.

The company culture can affect us in many, many ways. For instance:

• The hours you work per day, i-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ -g (1) opinions such as flextime and telecommunicating.

• The work e- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _-t (2), including how employees interact, the degree of c- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -n (3), and whether it’s a fun or hostile environment – or something between.

• The dress code, including the a-_ _ _ _ _ _ -d (4) styles of attire and things such as casual days.

• The office space you get, including things such as cubicles, window office, and rules regarding display of p-_ _ _ _ _ _ -l (5) items.

• The t-_ _ _ _ _ _ -g (6) and skills development you receive, which you need both on the job and to keep yourself m-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -e (7) for future jobs and e-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ -s (8).

• Onsite perks, such as break rooms, g-_ _ -s (9) and play rooms, daycare facilities, and more.

• The amount of time outside the o-_ _ _ _ -e (10) you are expected to spend with the co-workers.

• Interaction with other e-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ -s (11), including managers and top

m-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -t (12).

(from http://www.quintcareers.com/employer_corporate_culture.html)

3 . Reading

3.1 Read the information given below and answer the question How do you know which culture is right for you?

Corporate culture is the value system of the majority. The value system is what is important to them in terms of every aspect of human behaviour. It covers identity, beliefs, opinions, attitude, social class, age, dress, personality, everything. Which of these things is most important is part of the definition of the corporate culture. Cultures evolve over time and are effected by industry sector, size, place of origin, personality and vision of founders. As small companies grow the culture becomes more rigidly defined.

The right culture is one which reflects your personal value system. One in which you can identify and easily rapport with current members. To do this you need to know yourself. What are your values, beliefs, ambitions, and motivations?

(from http://www.careersandjobsuk.com/jobseekers/tips/corporate-culture.html)

3.2 Read and translate the text The Five Levels of Company Culture. Match the headings below to each of the parts in the text.

1. Communication That Connects People

2. Equipment and Other Physical Objects

3. Experience—Creating Motivation and Trust

4. The Authority Structure That Connect Systems With People

5. The Systems That Coordinate Equipment

The five levels of company culture

A culture is the values and practices shared by the members of the group. Company Culture, therefore, is the shared values and practices of the company’s employees.

Company culture is important because it can make or break company.

Company cultures have five distinct parts or levels. A well developed work culture manages each level. Here they are.

1._________________________________________________________

This is the first level of any culture. It includes tools and objects people use to build and make, the clothes they wear, the structures they live and work in, the products they trade or sell, and the art they create and cherish. This is the level of physics and chemistry, equipment, hardware, engineering, and technology.

In some companies this level is significant—such as in an oil and gas company. In other companies this may be quite insignificant. This is a level where the clearest analysis occurs, where you find the facts of science.

Equipment is not usually a dominant issue. Because it is comfortable and safe to talk about, it may be a frequent topic for discussions.

2._________________________________________________________

In companies, this level includes operating stems, processes, procedures, and methods. It is where you find the software to control hardware, and where most training dollars are spent. The prototype system is a living organism, with complex feedback mechanisms, and that unique quality of living systems, homeostasis—the ability to maintain a stable internal state. This level holds the key to efficiency.

In most companies there is plenty of room for process and systems improvements. Because the details of systems are well known to those closest to them to, this level is a golden opportunity for involvement. When you're beginning the company culture development process, this is a good place to start—by involving employees in improving their work systems.

3. _______________________________________________________

In companies, this level includes authority, competition, organizational structures, markets, information, productivity, and profits. Humans have refined some aspects of this level into economics, politics, laws, democracy, and ethics. Included here are competitive forms of decision-making such as win-lose, or combat. The key aspect of this level is power and control. In its crudest form it involves dominance and submission.

Issues around control, power, and competition usually dominate work cultures. They are also some of the most emotionally difficult to discuss. It is easier to work indirectly on power and control issues by engaging people in improving operational systems at levels 1 and 2. These discussions always bring in power and authority. As you work on system issues, you'll find that the problems around power and control will gradually diminish.

These first three levels contain everything that is not distinctively human. For example, everything contains matter—physics and chemistry. All living systems, and many non-living systems, have processes. Power and control, the dominant features of most human cultures, are also present in most animal species.

4. ________________________________________________________

This level is the first that is distinctively human. Only people have complex language and writing. Communication includes listening, understanding, dialogue, relationships, and teamwork. It also includes empathetic forms of decision-making, such as consensus and win-win.

This is the level where managers have the most potential leverage. Improving communications and relationships has a powerful effect on the culture. But you can't do this in abstract. You have to communicate about something, usually from levels 1, 2 or perhaps 3. Building relationships and communications is the key to employee morale and motivation, to an engaged and productive workplace.

5. _______________________________________________________

At the highest level is the quality of human experience. This includes what we cherish in life, and feelings such as trust, caring, safety, satisfaction, pride, and engagement. It also includes our spiritual or sacred side.

Managers cannot directly affect another’s experience, but they can affect it profoundly by actions at the other four levels— especially how they communicate, Level 4.

(from http://corpculture.ru/content/five-levels-company-culture)

3.3 Look through the texts again and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) The first level of the company culture is significant only for oil and gas companies. 2) Company culture is comprised of values and behaviors of the company members. 3) The System That Coordinate Equipment is a golden opportunity for improving the work system of employees. 4) The level of the Authority Structure that connects systems with people is an operational half of company culture. 5) Issues around control, power and competition are some of the most technically difficult to discuss. 6) The first three levels of the company culture contain matter-physics and chemistry.

3.4 Look through the text again and answer the following questions.

1) What does the first level of any company culture include? 2) Why is the level of equipment significant in oil and gas companies? 3) Why does the level of the Systems that coordinate equipment hold the key to efficiency? 4) What are the key aspects of the third level? 5) What dominates work culture? 6) What is common in the first three levels? 7) What does communication include? 8) Why do communications and relationships have a powerful effect on the culture? 9) How can managers affect other’s experience? 10) Why is there no traditional field for experience?

4 . LISTENING

4.1 The words and phrases in the box come up in the texts devoted to company culture in different oil and gas companies. Guess or look up in the dictionary any new words you do not know. Make up your own sentences using these words and phrases.

4.2 Listen to the Benefits of a Good Company Culture and arrange information according to the text.

4.3 Listen to Larry Boyd, Senior Geological Specialist who has been working with ajm Petroleum Consultants for six years and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) AJM Petroleum Consultants provides reserves for clients all over the world. 2) The company attracts applicants from senior levels of oil and gas industry. 3) Larry Boyd has been working in the industry for 13 years. 4) At AJM, pace is constant all year round. 5) Larry Boyd is responsible for meeting new people and doing new projects.

4.4 Listen to Andrew Botterill, Supervisor, Evaluations, who works six years with ajm Petroleum Consultants and answer the following questions.

1) What do employees respect at AJM? 2) Do people sacrifice their personal life at AJM? 3) Are employers encouraged to expand their expertise? 4) What did Andrew Botterill think about his future when he started at AJM? 5) Why does Andrew Botterill see a career path in front of him?

4.5 As you listen to Debbie Horbachewski, who works for Oil States International, Inc fill in the gaps in the sentences with the information from the text.

The culture of our company focuses on ___1___. Here are some of the common traits that reflect our values and make this a great company:

• Recognizing that our employees are our ___2___.

• A sense of urgency and purpose in meeting customer expectations.

• A source of innovation encouraged by career development and ___3___.

• Ethical behavior- doing the right things in compliance with the law and policy.

• ___4___ - working with others towards a common goal.

• Striving for safety- achieving the common goal of our employees, their families, and our customers by providing a ___5___ to work in and to visit.

• High standards of consistently providing a quality product as well as quality service for both ___6___ customers.

• Communications - fair minded, open, and honest.

• Mutual respect - treating others the way we want to be treated.

• Valuing the input of others.

• Being considerate of the environment and of our communities.

• Keeping our commitments.

• The importance of ___7___.

Striving for excellence and improving personal performance.

(from http://www.relocatingtohouston.org/nixor/18/)

5 . SPEAKING

1. Many companies have special rules for their employees. Look at the Policy of one Oil Company and say:

1. Why do you think the company created these rules? 2) Do you think the rules are fair? 3) Would you like to work for a company like this?

Company policy

1. Staff have to lock in and out, or sign a book.

2. Overtime is unpaid – but staff may take time off in lieu if they have a period of excessive extra work.

3. People are expected to ‘hot-desk’ and take whatever working space is available at the time.

4. No employee is allowed to use Company’s properties for his personal use.

5. The Company reserves the right to inspect all Company’s property without notice to the employee and whether or not the employee is present.

6. If the Company has a reasonable suspicion that an employee is in unauthorised possession of Company’s properties, he may be subjected to a body search and/or his possession. An employee failure to submit to a search will render him guilty of unauthorised possession of Company’s properties.

7. No employee is allowed to use the Company’s telephone / telefax / electronic mail for his personal use.

8. Should an employee be found to have use the Company’s telephone / telefax / electronic mail for his personal use, the Company reserve the right to seek re-imbursement on the charges incurred from him.

9. Personal calls except for emergency calls will not be entertained during working hours.

10. Managers have their own reserved parking spaces. There is no parking available for other members of staff. Extra parking spaces are for official visitors only.

11. Smoking is strictly prohibited in the Company’s premise. Smoking is permitted only outside the Company’s premise during break time only.

12. All employees are strictly prohibited to eat in the Company’s premise except in the cafeteria, office kitchenette (applicable to office staff only) and guardhouse (applicable to Security Guards on duty only).

13. Employees who work late or on overtime must ensure that all lights, air-conditions and Equipments are shut off when they leave the work place. Employees may approach the security guards for assistance.

14. If staff are unable to work because they are unwell, they should produce a doctor’s note after three days away from work.

(from http://www.hrd-coach.net/hrd_articles/index.php?page=article&article_id=35)

2. Now work in groups. Design a set of rules for a typical oil or gas company in your country.

Think about the rules for: forms of address; working place; dress code; timekeeping; overtime; telephones and the Internet; parking; gifts; sickness; any other areas.

3. Study the information of the company culture at Racetrac Petroleum, Inc given by one of the clients and say what is wrong.

R ace Trac corporate managers and office staff alike display and maintain a hostile and very negative attitude and work environment from their store cashiers right on up to the corporate offices in Atlanta.

I have been amazed to walk into a store only to hear managers and the assistant managers verbally degrading and humiliating fellow employees, shift managers and customers alike.

I was privy to one assistant manager in a Central Florida degrading an elderly black gentleman to the point the man looked at the young manager and told her in no uncertain terms that she made him feel as though he was being handled by a master on a slave farm again. Not a good thing... This same store the assistant manager cusses at fellow employees she does not like and calls them useless worthless pieces of crap in front of whoever is in the store at the time...

At this same store I witnessed the store manager and a man having an all out fight about buying a car and with yelling, screaming, and threats. I am so amazed that RaceTrac allows this from their employees.

It seems as though RaceTrac owners and board members do not care what’s happening in their store.

(from http://www.indeed.com/forum/cmp/Racetrac-Petroleum,-Inc./s-company-culture-at-Racetrac-Petroleum-Inc/t82370)

5.4 You are working for Oil States International, Inc. Your boss has asked you to make a short introductory speech in English about your company culture. Using the notes you have made prepare a speech for visiting foreign clients.

The culture of our company focuses on core values. Here are some of the common traits that reflect our values and make this a great company:

• Recognizing that our employees are our greatest asset.

• A sense of urgency and purpose in meeting customer expectations.

• A source of innovation encouraged by career development and utilization of technology.

• Ethical behavior- doing the right things in compliance with the law and policy.

• Teamwork- working with others towards a common goal.

• Striving for safety- achieving the common goal of our employees, their families, and our customers by providing a safe environment to work in and to visit.

• High standards of consistently providing a quality product as well as quality service for both internal and external customers.

• Communications - fair minded, open, and honest.

• Mutual respect - treating others the way we want to be treated.

• Valuing the input of others.

• Being considerate of the environment and of our communities.

• Keeping our commitments.

• The importance of work-life balance.

Striving for excellence and improving personal performance.

(from http://www.relocatingtohouston.org/nixor/18/)

5.5 Work with a partner. One of you is a journalist who is going to interview a middle manager of the Excel Oil Engineering, Inc. Use the information given in the card below.

Our Mission: To discover value, to create value, to realize value and to increase value

Our Principle: Strategic foresight, stable development and rational investment

Our Objective: Endeavor to be a leader and strive to maintain sustained development in competition

Our Management: Human-centered, ethics-first, law as the guiding principle to achieve order

Our Tactics: Integrate comparative superiority and create future core competition

Our Spirit:Trust, cooperation, innovation, learning and reciprocation

Our Personnel Strategy: With common ideology to gather intellectual talents

Our Social Ideology: Pay back society, serve society and advance with society

6 Writing

6.1 What is a memo?

The word memorandum is derived from the Middle English word 'memorandus' meaning 'to be remembered'.

A memo or memorandum is a type of communication commonly used in businesses. Memo's are sent to colleagues and co-workers. They differ from letters as they are more informal and do not require a salutation or a closure statement as in Business Letter.

A memo is:

• a hard-copy (sent on paper) document

• used for communicating inside an organisation

• usually short

• contains To, From, Date, Subject Headings and Message sections

• does not need to be signed, but sometimes has the sender's name at the bottom to be more friendly, or the sender's full name to be more formal. If in doubt, follow your company style.

(from http://www.samples-help.org.uk/sample-letters/sample-memo.htm; http://158.132.164.193/CILL/eiw/memos.htm)

2. Purpose of a Memo

A memo is used as a written reminder or to convey a short proposal or some basic information. Memos are useful in situations where e-mails or text messages are not suitable. For example, if you are sending an object, such as a book or a paper that needs to be signed, through internal office mail, you can use a memo as a covering note to explain what the receiver should do. A memo format is generally short consisting of between one and four sentences. A longer format might consist of several paragraphs but should never exceed one page in length. If the information you need to communicate exceeds one page it is better to write a report. In these instances a simple memorandum can be used to introduce a report which would be attached to the memo.

2. Format Hints and Tips on How to write a Memo

Writing a memo is a relatively simple and informal task. Some things and tips to consider when writing and considering the format of a Memo are:

• How much information do you need to convey?

• Who do you need to communicate with?

• How to write a memo

• Memos should have the following sections and content: A 'To' section containing the name of the receiver. For informal memos, the receiver's given name; e.g. 'To: Andy' is enough. For more formal memos, use the receiver's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name.  It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.

• A 'From' section containing the name of the sender. For informal memos, the sender's other name; e.g. 'From: Bill' is enough. For more formal memos, use the sender's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.

• A 'Date' section. To avoid confusion between the British and American date systems, write the month as a word or an abbreviation; e.g. 'January' or 'Jan'.

• A Subject Heading.

• The message. Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organised memo message should contain the following sections:

1. Situation – an Introduction or the purpose of the memo.

2. Problem (optional) - for example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay, staff have difficulty in finding a nearby place to buy lunch."

3. Solution (optional) - for example: "Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would enable staff to bring in their own lunchboxes and reheat their food."

4. Action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out; e.g. "we would appreciate it if you could authorise up to $3,000"

5. Politeness - to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important to end with a polite expression; e.g. "Once again, thank you for your support.", or more informally "Thanks".

•  Signature This is optional.

(from http://158.132.164.193/CILL/eiw/memos.htm)

2. Study the examples of the Memos given below.

(from http://www.scribd.com/doc/36309286/Memo)

6.5 Use the Sampe Memo Format given below and write down your own memo.

Sample Memo Format

TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT:

First Sentence: Reason for the memo Second Sentence - Main Body: Any Instructions or information Closing Sentence

1 . Lead-in

1.1 A presentation is a formal talk to one or more people that "presents" ideas or information in a clear, structured way. People are sometimes afraid of speaking in public. Some people, and only a very few, are able to stand up in front of an audience without preparation and speak interestingly and clearly. Most of us have to prepare and organize our presentation in advance. If you follow a few simple rules, giving a presentation is actually very easy.

2. Which of the following do you think the presented should think about before the presentation?

• Who is the audience?

• What is the subject and title of my presentation?

• What are the aims of my presentation?

• How much do the audience know already? What do they want to know?

• How long is my presentation?

• What are the main points of the presentation?

• What structure and order will these points have?

• What visual aid will I use?

• How will I begin, introduce each point and conclude?

• What questions might I be asked?

The good presenter has thought about all these questions in the presentation stage.

1.3 What you say is as important the way you look in front of the audience. Which of these do you think gives an audience a good impression and which a bad impression?

• looking at your shoes;

• laughing all the time;

• turning your back on the audience;

• keeping eye contact with members of the audience;

• having your notes in the wrong order;

• looking out of the window;

• swaying from side to side;

• hands in your pockets;

• a bored look;

• a smile;

• shouting;

• apologizing all the time;

• talking to all the audience not just your friends;

• sitting down.

4. The following is a list of different steps that people go through when preparing a presentation. Read the steps and decide in which order they could be done.

• Prepare the visual aids.

• Research the topic.

• Practise giving the presentation to an audience – time how long it takes.

• Decide on the main points of the presentation.

• Put the main points into a logical and connected order.

• Make notes to refer to in the presentation.

• Decide on the structure of the presentation – the introduction, the main points and the conclusion.

2 . Vocabulary

2.1 Read the words given below and learn them by heart.

2.2 Fill in the blanks in the text Public Presentation with the words from the box.

Public presentation

Public presentation is a great ___1___ and a great ___2___ at the same time. It is aimed to conveying the necessary information to the audience and shaping its ___3___ . Public speaking can be either in the form of an emotional ___4___ (politicians, priests, lawyers) or of a ___5___ (teachers, scientists, TV reporters) but in any case it affects the audience in this or that way.

A good presentation requires the knowledge of certain ___6___ to make it a successful presentation. First of all, it is a good idea not to copy the manner of some well-known and famous speaker, because the ___7___ may turn out very poor and, what is more important, you may lose your individuality.

Secondly, every speaker must ___8___ the basic characteristics of a presentation. They are: significance of the topic, novelty, competence, illustrativeness, informativeness and coherence.

Naturally, every presentation consists of three major parts: introduction, body and conclusion. In the introduction it is necessary to greet the audience, introduce oneself, present the topic and its ___9___ and state the structure of the presentation. The body should contain the general outline of the problem, supported with ___10___, the results of your research and the examples, if possible. However, the body shouldn’t be very long: six points of new information are enough, otherwise the audience will find it difficult ___11___ .

In the conclusion, it is necessary to give a balanced summing up of the ideas mentioned in the ___12___. Sometimes it is required to state your presentation attitude to the problem, but on the whole it is enough ___13___ the results of your research or the topic concepts, covered in your speech.

The general appearance and the manner of speech should also be taken care of. It is important ___14___, to speak with a loud enough voice, to make necessary pauses, not to hurry, to maintain eye-contact with the audience. On the whole, a good speaker should sound friendly, show his respect to the audience and avoid slang words. ___15___ must not distract the listener from your presentation, it ought to be appropriate for the situation. At the end it is advisable to thank the audience.

2.3 Read the text Active Listening and translate the words given in the brackets into English. Active listening

Good speakers not only inform their audience, they also listen to them. By listening, you know if they understand the information and if the information is important to them.

Active listening with a purpose is used (1. получить информацию), to determine how another person feels, and to understand others. Some good traits of effective listeners are:

• Spend more time listening than talking (but of course, as (2. докладчик), you will be doing most of the talking).

• Do not finish the sentence of others.

• Do not answer questions with questions.

• Aware of (3.необъективности). We all have them. We need to control them.

• Never (4. грезить наяву) or become preoccupied with your own thoughts when others talk.

• Let the other speaker talk. Do not (5. доминировать) the conversation.

• Plan responses after others have finished speaking...NOT while they are speaking. Their full concentration is on what others are saying, not on what they are going to respond with.

• (6. обеспечить обратную связь) but do not interrupt incessantly.

• Analyze by looking at all the (7. уместный) factors and asking open-ended questions.

• Keep the conversation on what the speaker says...NOT on what interest them.

Listening can be one of your most powerful (8. инструменты общения)! Be sure to use it!

(from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadpres.html)

2.4 Complete each sentence with the words from the words in capitals. The body

(from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadpres.html)

3 . Reading

3.1 Read the text Tips and Techniques For Great Presentations and find the English equivalents to the following words and phrases.

Tips and techniques for great presentations

Eleanor Roosevelt was a shy young girl who was terrified at the thought of speaking in public. But with each passing year, she grew in confidence and self-esteem. She once said, "No one can make you feel inferior, unless you agree with it."

• If you have handouts, do not read straight from them. The audience does not know if they should read along with you or listen to you read.

• Do not put both hands in your pockets for long periods of time. This tends to make you look unprofessional. It is OK to put one hand in a pocket but ensure there is no loose change or keys to jingle around. This will distract the listeners.

• Do not wave a pointer around in the air like a wild knight branding a sword to slay a dragon. Use the pointer for what it is intended and then put it down, otherwise the audience will become fixated upon your "sword", instead upon you.

• Do not lean on the podium for long periods. The audience will begin to wonder when you are going to fall over.

• Speak to the audience...NOT to the visual aids, such as flip charts or overheads. Also, do not stand between the visual aid and the audience.

• Speak clearly and loudly enough for all to hear. Do not speak in a monotone voice. Use inflection to emphasize your main points.

• The disadvantages of presentations is that people cannot see the punctuation and this can lead to misunderstandings. An effective way of overcoming this problem is to pause at the time when there would normally be punctuation marks.

• Use colored backgrounds on overhead transparencies and slides (such as yellow) as the bright white light can be harsh on the eyes. This will quickly cause your audience to tire. If all of your transparencies or slides have clear backgrounds, then tape one blank yellow one on the overhead face. For slides, use a rubber band to hold a piece of colored cellophane over the projector lens.

• Learn the name of each participant as quickly as possible. Based upon the atmosphere you want to create, call them by their first names or by using Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.

• Tell them what name and title you prefer to be called.

• Listen intently to comments and opinions. By using a lateral thinking technique (adding to ideas rather than dismissing them), the audience will feel that their ideas, comments, and opinions are worthwhile.

• Circulate around the room as you speak. This movement creates a physical closeness to the audience.

• List and discuss your objectives at the beginning of the presentation. Let the audience know how your presentation fits in with their goals. Discuss some of the fears and apprehensions that both you and the audience might have. Tell them what they should expect of you and how you will contribute to their goals.

• Vary your techniques (lecture, discussion, debate, films, slides, reading, etc.)

• Get to the presentation before your audience arrives; be the last one to leave.

• Be prepared to use an alternate approach if the one you've chosen seems to bog down. You should be confident enough with your own material so that the audience's interests and concerns, not the presentation outline, determines the format. Use your background, experience, and knowledge to interrelate your subject matter.

• When writing on flip charts use no more than 7 lines of text per page and no more than 7 word per line (the 7 7 rule). Also, use bright and bold colors, and pictures as well as text.

• Consider the time of day and how long you have got for your talk. Time of day can affect the audience. After lunch is known as the graveyard section in training circles as audiences will feel more like a nap than listening to a talk.

• Most people find that if they practice in their head, the actual talk will take about 25 per cent longer. Using a flip chart or other visual aids also adds to the time. Remember - it is better to finish slightly early than to overrun.

(from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadpres.html)

3.2 Look through the text Tips and Techniques For Great Presentations once more and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1) No one can make you subordinate, unless you agree with it. 2) Putting even one hand in the pocket will distract the audience. 3) It is not good to lean on the rostrum for a long time. 4) During the presentation the qualities of the voice should include loudness, speed (fast or slow), variety, pitch (high or low), silent moments or pauses. 5) Colored backgrounds will cause the audience to tire. 6) The audience should always feel that their ideas, comments, and opinions are worthwhile. 7) Visuals should be adjusted to the audience and supplement the spoken message. 8) In the afternoon the audiences will feel more like a nap than listening to a talk.

3. Study the main steps of a good presentation.

3. Read the text how the presentation should be organized and pay attention to the phrases which can be used during presentation.

If you want to stand up for an academic degree, if you want to aim at achieving success during your thesis’ presentation to the Academic Board you should know how to prepare and organize your presentation.

The way you look in front of the audience is very important. When on rostrum, try to behave properly. Stop swinging the pointer, keep from waving hands, abstain from shouting, and control your voice. While you are speaking you should keep eye contact with members of the audience. This gives you information about the audience’s reaction. You are able to check that they understand what you are speaking about.

The start of a presentation is very important. It gives the audience their first impression of you and the topic you are going to speak about. It also gives you the chance to get over your nerves with a confident start. The introduction should be brief about 1-2 minutes of speaking.

It’s better to start with the greeting of the audience and introducing yourself. When you greet the audience and introduce yourself it is best to be formal. Here you can use such phrases as:

After you have greeted the audience and introduced yourself you need to tell the audience the exact purpose of your presentation. The audience should understand the overall reason for your presentation. Here is a list of phrases, which introduce purposes:

The next step of your presentation is telling the audience how you are going to structure your talk. The audience should understand how many main points are going to be made and how they are going to be structured. The order of your main points must be easy for the audience to follow. There is usually a logical sequence, which is suggested by the topic. That’s why it’s better to use here the following phrases:

The main body is the “heart” of your presentation, which contains the most important points that you wish to make. Every main point contains an introduction and summing up. A clear speaker will tell the listener which point is going to be made and how it is related to the previous points, if at all. Here the speaker usually uses the phrases to indicate the end of the point and to introduce the next point. They are:

The conclusion is as important as the introduction. The conclusion to your talk is important for two reasons. Firstly, it gives you a chance to tell the audience again what the main points of your presentation were; it is therefore a chance to summarize for the audience the information got. Secondly, the conclusion acts as a bridge between you speaking and the chance for the audience to participate and to respond to the ideas that you have put across. The following phrases could be used to introduce your conclusion:

A)

B)

Following your presentation there is usually a chance for the audience to ask you questions and put their ideas to you. When you deal with questions from the audience try to follow the advice:

1. Listen carefully to all the questions.

2. If you don’t understand the question ask for a repetition.

3. Always be courteous to your questioners.

4. Admit if you don’t know the answer.

5. If the question has more than one part – deal with each part separately.

4 . Listening

4.1 Now listen to a businessman giving advice on presentation techniques. While listening answer the following questions.

1) What does the success of the presentation depend on? 2) Why is it important to adapt the style of your presentation to your audience? 3) Why should an oral presentation be well structured? 4) How many parts does a typical presentation consist of? 5) Why is the beginning of a presentation the most important part? 6) What is the typical beginning of the presentation in English-speaking countries? 7) Is it appropriate to start a presentation with a joke in Russia? 8) What is a good technique of the presentation?

4.2 Listen to the text The dOs and don'Ts of Oral Presentations. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1) Check beforehand, if you can, the place where you are going to make your presentation. 2) Provide a particular support for the main ideas. 3) Displaying good postures not to distract the audience. 4) Indicate the end of one section and the beginning of the next. 5) You should be able to answer any question and give exact answer. 6) Don’t sway back and forth like a pendulum. 7) Don’t be afraid to lose eye contact. 8) Try to have a bit of fun while making presentation.

4.3 The words and phrases in the box come up in the presentation devoted to the problem of Team Building in Oil and Gas Companies . Guess or look up in the dictionary any new words you do not know. Make up your own sentences using these words and phrases.

4.4 Listen to the presentation devoted to the problem of Team Building in Oil and Gas Companies. While listening fill in the chart given below.

4.5 Listen to the text again and match the slides with the points in task 4.4 Arrange the slides according to the text.

5 . Speaking

5.1 Discuss these questions with other members of the group.

1) What is the purpose of the presentation? 2) What percentage of the success of a presentation is due to preparation? 3) What do you need to know about the audience? 4) If the content is good, the presentation will certainly go well. To what extent is this true? 5) What methods can you use to structure your presentation, and to show this structure to the audience? 6) How can you avoid a presentation being a platform to show off how much you know about a certain audience?

2. This is a checklist of the essential elements to consider in preparing and planning an oral presentation. Use it yourself by filling in the boxes on the right under “My Ideas”.

(from http://www.it-sudparis.eu/lsh/ressources/ops/preparation/)

5 .4 Work in a pair. You are going to make a presentation. Study the information devoted to the visual aids and discuss with your partner what visuals you will use and give your arguments.

Visuals

What are visuals?

• graphs charts

• maps photos

• drawings images

• models video/film

• objects

What media are used?

• transparencies/slides

• Power Point slides

• video projection/projector

• handouts

It is often a good idea to give out a paper copy, called a handout, an outline, a glossary of key words, sources, any other visuals you plan to use, so people can take them away, not waste time in taking notes on key concepts.

What is the vocabulary of the equipment used?

• blackboard, whiteboard, paperboard

• chalk, felt tip pen or marker, eraser

• podium, lectern, overhead

• overhead projector system (OHP)

• screen

• pointer

• microphone, mike

• opaque projector

What should you put on a visual?

• key words

• technical words

• lists

• examples

• diagrams

• charts

Vocabulary of graphs/chart

• line graph (algorithmic, linear curve, line)

• bar chart

• flip chart

• diagram

• pie chart (segment, slice of the pie)

• flow chart

• organization chart

Size, layout, font (typeface) and size, colors.

• Size - A4

• Layout should be pleasant and easy to read: horizontal/landscape layout is preferable.

• Fonts: Ariel, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Futura, Optima, Verdana, New Century,

• Schoolbook and Courier. Some companies impose a particular style.

• Font size - maybe 20 or more depending on the size of the room you will be speaking in. A good idea is to use different sizes for different types of text: i.e. 20 for main headings, 16 for subheadings, 14 for other text.

• Use CAPITAL LETTERS, bold face, italics, underlining, (white on black) or shading to highlight.

• If possible, use color transparencies (unless you are just showing text).

How should you present a visual in a presentation?

It is not sufficient just to put up a transparency on the screen and expect the audience to turn its attention to it, to understand it and make the link with what you are saying. (See Giving Presentations Unit. 4) We would suggest the following strategy:

It is important to prepare your audience for what they are going to see. This keeps the audience on their toes and gives you the opportunity to position your visual correctly.

Let's look at the current distribution of the market, as you can see...

I'm going to show you now the most recent figures available...

My next slide concerns the method by which...

Remember to draw the attention of the audience to the points that you wish to highlight but avoid redundancy by describing everything that is in the visual!

As you can see....

The first line of figures is the most revealing...

Notice/observe how the increase has had an effect on the...

What is important here is the way that...

You can also try to rephrase your point to give it emphasis, giving the audience time to absorb the information.

In other words the number of employees has a direct effect on the...

Or to look at it in another way every time you...

That is to say no matter what technique is used, the results remain.

(from http://www.scribd.com/doc/3139911/oral-presentaion-skills)

5.5 The slides given below are prepared by your colleague for tomorrow’s presentation. Unfortunately he is ill and you will have to give the presentation instead. Look at the slides and with your partner arrange them logically and prepare a short presentation with their help.

5.6 Study the presentation notes on the topic Oil and Gas given below, choose some you will use in your presentation, arrange your speech and prepare visual aids (slides).

Introductory slides

SLIDE 1. PLAN

SLIDE 2. OIL AND GAS

Presenter notes: Oil and Gas are natural resources of enormous economic importance. Together they provide about 60% of all the energy used by society today. They provide fuel for transport and are vital for heating, lighting and cooking. In addition they are used in the manufacture of synthetic fabrics, plastics, fertilizers, detergent as well as for many other purposes. In short, it is hard to imagine how our society could function without oil and gas.

SLIDE 3. TALK OUTLINE

Presenter notes: In this talk we will examine oil and gas from three angles. In the first part we will think about the biological and geological processes responsible for the formation of oil and gas. In Practical Exercise 1 we investigate the rate at which oil and gas deposits form and consider the meaning of non‐renewable versus renewable energy. In the second part, we will look at the way geologists explore for new oil and gas deposits and consider the how oil and gas get from the well to the marketplace. In Practical Exercise 2, we will have a chance to explore for oil and gas fields ourselves in the ‘Prospector Game’. In the third part, we will examine the political importance of oil and gas. Specifically we will look at which countries control production, consider global supply and demand, and think about the likely future of oil and gas in our society.

PART 1: ORIGIN

SLIDE 4. CHEMISTRY

Presenter notes: As we begin to think about the origin of oil and gas, a basic question we need to answer is what exactly are oil and gas? Oil and gas are complicated mixtures of different hydrocarbons. A hydrocarbon is a large organic molecule. As the name suggests it is composed of hydrogen atoms attached to a backbone, or chain, of carbon atoms. Short chain hydrocarbons like methane are gases. Medium chain hydrocarbons like paraffin are liquids. Long chain hydrocarbons like bitumen are solids. When crude oil is extracted from the earth it may be a mixture of hydrocarbons in solid, liquid and gas states.

SLIDE 5. PLANKTON

Presenter notes: It may come as a surprise but most of the world’s oil and gas is made up of the fossil remains of microscopic marine plankton. That’s why oil and gas are often referred to as a fossil fuel. The most important group of plankton involved in the formation of oil and gas are single celled phytoplankton called dinoflagellates, though many types of zooplankton are equally important. Some oil and gas may have also originated from the remains of land plants, but we will not discuss these types of deposits in this talk.

SLIDE 6. BLOOMS

Presenter notes: In certain parts of the world’s oceans, plankton occurs in enormous quantities, or blooms. Exactly where those plankton blooms occur is controlled by ocean currents. The richest sites are where cold, nutrient rich waters rise to the surface from the deepest parts of the ocean. The nutrients found in these ‘upwelling zones’ feed plankton and allow them to reproduce quickly. A single litre of seawater may contain several million dinoflagellates. Where these plankton occurs in high numbers they may turn the water red. This phenomenon is known as red tide.

SLIDE 7. ON THE SEA BED

Presenter notes: When plankton dies it slowly settles to the sea bed where it forms an organic mush. Usually there are lots of animals living on the sea floor that feed on this material. One important group is the polychaete worms. These are detritivores, which means they eat the dead and decay remains of other organisms

SLIDE 8. BLACK SHALE

Presenter notes: However, under certain conditions there may be very little oxygen on the sea floor. This may be because the ocean is deep and stagnant and oxygen has not been mixed down from the surface waters. No animal life can survive where the sea bed is completely lacking oxygen. Without animals to eat the dead plankton, the organic mush builds up on the sea bed. Where ocean sediment contains more than 5% organic mush it is known as a Black Shale. The black colour comes from the dark organic matter that it contains. As we will see, Black Shale is what makes oil and gas.

SLIDE 9. COOKING

Presenter notes: As more sediment accumulates on top, layers of Black Shale become buried more and more deeply in the Earth’s crust. As they do so, they slowly heat up (a bit like being in pressure cooker). With progressive heating the organic material in the plankton undergoes chemical and physical changes. It gradually breaks down into smaller and smaller hydrocarbons. At temperatures of around 30C, a solid, sticky bitumen is produced. Around 90C liquid oil is formed. As temperatures reach 150C, natural gases like methane are given off. A Black Shale that is heated and gives off oil and gas is known in the oil industry as a Source Rock

SLIDE 10. MIGRATION

Presenter notes: The hot oil and gas does not stay in the Source Rock for long. As the hydrocarbons are less dense than the rocks that surround them, they gradually migrate upwards in much the same way that the less dense air bubbles of an underwater diver will rise through water. The migrating oil and gas may travel up between the sand grains that make up the rock or they may find their way up through cracks, fissures, and faults in the crust. As we will see when we look at oil exploration, eventually oil and gas get trapped in pockets in the crust known as reservoirs.

SLIDE 11. ANCIENT EARTH

Presenter notes: Most of the Source Rocks that gave rise to our present day oilfields were formed in the middle of the Mesozoic Era about 150 million years ago. At that time conditions were just right to build up huge thicknesses of Black Shale. On the one hand, the oceans were unusually warm, promoting vast plankton blooms. On the other hand, oxygen was mostly absent on the ocean floors so most of the plankton that settled on the bottom accumulated. There were no animals around to eat it up. The map on the left hand side shows what the Earth looked like 150 million years ago. The red circles show where the world’s main oil deposits were formed in warm, shallow, deoxygenated seas.

SLIDE 12. SOURCE OF NORTH SEA OIL

Presenter notes: A real example of a Black Shale that has formed a major oil deposit is the Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay. This is a 150 million year old shale that contains up to 50% organic matter. It stretches from Dorset in southern England right across to Norway. It was this Black Shale which was the Source Rock for the North Sea oilfield.

SLIDE 13. PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1

Presenter notes: The Kimmeridge Clay of Dorset took an enormous amount of geological time to form. After that it took still many more million years before it was sufficiently cooked to start producing oil and gas. In the first Practical Exercise we will try and calculate exactly how much time it takes to form a watt of energy from oil and gas by biological and geological processes. We will compare our figures with other energy sources like wind power and solar power and think about the meaning of Non‐renewal and Renewal Energy.

PART 2: EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION

SLIDE 14. OIL TRAPS

Presenter notes: In the first practical we thought about the immense amount of time it takes to form oil and gas. Consequently, it is an extremely valuable resource and huge amounts of money are poured into trying to locate new oilfields. In this section, we will investigate how oil and gas is discovered in the crust and how it eventually reaches the marketplace. As we have already seen, once produced, oil and gas migrates out of its Source Rock and accumulates at another site in the Earth’s crust. Some rocks like sandstone or limestone are permeable to oil and gas, which means that they can pass freely through them. Other rocks like clay or salt are impermeable, which means they block the upward passage of hydrocarbons. One of the most common ways that oil and gas becomes trapped in pockets in the crust is where it is rises into a structural dome capped by impermeable rocks. The cap rocks prevent the oil and gas escaping upwards and the buoyancy of the hydrocarbons prevent them from sinking back down. This is called an Oil Trap.

SLIDE 15. RESERVOIR ROCK

Presenter notes: The permeable rocks than contain oil and gas within the oil trap are known as the Reservoir Rock. The best kind of reservoir rocks have lots of interconnected holes called pores. These allow them to absorb the oil and gas like a sponge. The picture on the left shows a good reservoir rock with lots of pore spaces shown in blue. As we advance the slide, we see the pores gradually fill with oil. This rock can absorb large amounts of oil.

SLIDE 16. SEISMIC SURVEY

Presenter notes: We’ve just established what kind of structures tend to trap oil and gas in the Earth’s crust, but how do we locate potential traps underground? One technique is to use seismic surveys. In this technique, a Vibrator Truck fires sound waves into the ground. The sound waves pass through some rock layers and bounce of others. By recording how long it takes for the sound waves to arrive back at the surface allows geologist to build a picture of the internal structure of the rocks beneath their feet. An example of a seismic survey is shown in the diagram on the right. It reveals a large underground dome in the rocks. As we have seen domes often trap oil and gas so this may be a potential site to drill.

SLIDE 17. DRILLING THE WELL

Presenter notes: A potential oil trap is called a Prospect. Once a prospect has been identified, the next stage is to drill a hole into the top of the trap to see if it contains oil and gas. It is incredibly expensive to a drill hole. On an offshore rig is may cost .1 million for every metre drilled. So if you are going to drill a hole 500 metres underground its going to cost you half a billion pounds! Consequently geologists have to be pretty confident that they going to hit oil. If they drill too many ‘dry holes’ they will soon lose their job!

SLIDE 18. ENHANCED RECOVERY

Presenter: If the geologist is lucky, he or she will strike oil and gas. A hole that contains oil and gas is called a well. The oil and gas is under considerable pressure in the Earth’s crust so once a well is drilled into the reservoir rock, the oil and gas rapidly rises to the surface. However, as more and more oil and gas comes out of the well, eventually the pressure drops and flow slows down. To get the remainder of the oil and gas out of the reservoir rock, a second hole is drilled adjacent to the first. Hot water or steam are pumped down the hole and this forces the oil and gas still trapped in the rock up the original well. This technique is known as enhanced recovery.

SLIDE 19. TRANSPORT

Presenter notes: Once the oil and gas has been extracted from the ground, it must be safely transported from the well to the refinery where it will be processed. Oil is usually transported from the well to the refinery using pipelines. These may stretch over land or be laid over the sea bed. A spectacular example of an oil pipeline is the Trans‐Alaskan pipeline which carries oil and gas for 800 miles across Arctic permafrost. Another way that oil and gas are transported is by means of massive oil tankers. These gigantic vessels can carry up to half a million tonnes of oil.

SLIDE 20. AT THE REFINERY

Presenter notes: At the refinery, the crude oil, which also contains a lot of gas, is processed. This involves separating out all the different hydrocarbons in the crude oil. To do this, the crude oil is heated in a furnace and then passed through a cooling tower. The method relies on the fact that different hydrocarbons have different boiling points. Consequently the heavy hydrocarbons like bitumen with high boiling points accumulate at the bottom of the cooling tower. Light hydrocarbon like paraffin with low boiling points accumulate near the top of the top. This process is known as fractional distillation. The different hydrocarbons have different uses. For example, bitumen is used to surface roads while paraffin is mostly used as aviation fuel.

SLIDE 21. EARLY HISTORY

Presenter notes: People have been using oil and gas for four thousand years. However, the modern era of oil and gas exploration and production didn’t begin until 1846. That year, Abraham Gesner, a geologist based in New Brunswick, Canada figured out how to distill paraffin from crude oil. This made crude oil far more useful and triggered a global boom is exploration and production. California became an early centre of oil prospecting and was famous for its gushers. These were pressurized oil reservoirs, which when drilled, spurted massive fountains of oil into the air!

SLIDE 22. THE SITUATION TODAY

Presenter notes: Following a hundred and fifty years of oil and gas exploration, most geologists think that we have now found most of the oil that lies in the Earth’s crust. The map shows the major oil and gas fields of the world. Dark green fields are the biggest field and the light green fields are smaller. Only two regions of the planet have not yet been fully explored for oil and gas. These are the Arctic and Antarctica. These cold in hospitable environments make oil exploration and production too costly. However, as the climate of these regions changes with global warming and as technology advances, it is only a matter of time before their fossil fuel resources are exploited.

SLIDE 23. PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2

Presenter notes: Now you know about the geological factors that control the distribution of oil and gas in the Earth’s crust, you should be able to locate oil and gas fields yourself! In Practical Exercise 2, you will try your hand as an exploration geologist as you play the ‘Prospector Game’. Will you make your fortune or will you get the sack?

PART 3: POLITICS

SLIDE 24. FUEL SOURCE

Presenter notes: So far we have thought about how oil and gas forms, how geologists find it, and how it is brought to the marketplace. However, this talk would not be complete without a look at the politics of oil and why it is so significant. That will be the topic of the final part of this talk. As we mentioned at the start of this talk, its hard to imagine how modern society could function without oil and gas. The biggest single use of oil and gas is a fuel source. Fuel accounts for about 84% of all oil and gas consumed. Without oil and gas there would be no cars or planes and we would be more limited in the way we heat and light our homes, or cook meals. We can’t simply turn to electricity instead because much of our electricity is produced by power stations that burn oil and gas!

SLIDE 25. OTHER USES

Presenter notes: Less well known is the fact that many household items are also made from oil and gas. Did you know that CDs and DVDs, plastic containers, fertilizers, pesticides, food additives, synthetic clothing, dyes, and detergents, all to a large degree, contain byproducts of oil and gas? In fact 16% of all oil and gas is used to make these and many other products. As a society we totally rely on oil and gas in our day to day lives.

SLIDE 26. MAIN PRODUCERS – OPEC

Presenter notes: So, if oil and gas is of such importance to society, it’s important to understand who controls its production. Today, oil production is governed by three major groups who together produce 75% of the global supply. The single largest oil producer is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC. Together these 13 countries produce 36% of the world’s oil, or to put it another way, some 32 million barrels of oil per day (based 2008 figures). The largest producers in OPEC are four Arab states, namely Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, although Venezuela is also a major producer.

SLIDE 27. OTHER PRODUCERS

Presenter notes: The other two major producers are the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development, also known as OECD, and the states of the former Soviet Union.

OECD produces 24% of the world’s oil supply, or 21 million barrels per day. Within OCED, the biggest single producer is the USA, but other major players include Mexico, Canada, and the UK. The states of the former Soviet Union supply

a further 15% of the global production.

SLIDE 28. SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Presenter notes: In 2007, the global consumption of oil was about 80 million barrels per days. Every year, this rate of consumption is rising by about 1.2 million barrels per day. The single largest consumer of oil is the USA, which sucks up 24% of the total oil produced. However, the oil consumption of the USA is slightly declining at the moment. The annual growth in global oil consumption is mostly being driven by China, who shows big year‐on‐year increases in usage. Geologists believe that the nations of OPEC and OECD cannot indefinitely increase the rate of oil production. At most production rate can only be increased by another 2.5 million barrels per day. Consequently there may be a big squeeze in the availability of oil in the coming decade.

SLIDE 29. PEAK OIL

Presenter notes: This global squeeze in oil supply was predicted more than fifty years ago by a geologist called M. K. Hubbert. In 1956, Hubbert predicted that the world would reach peak rates of oil supply about the Year 2000. Thereafter oil would become increasingly scarce. This would trigger an energy crisis, result in widespread power blackouts, and see the cost of fuel rise astronomically. Hubbert’s idea of ‘Peak Oil’ is controversial but supported by some scientists and politicians.

SLIDE 30. RISING OIL PRICES

Presenter notes: One piece of evidence that suggests that Hubbert may have been right is rising cost of oil. For the past few years, oil prices have rapidly increased. In 1999, oil was priced at less than $10 per barrel but since then the price has sky‐rocketed to $135 per barrel by June 2008. Is this due to a squeeze in availability, as Hubbert suggested, or are other political or economic factors to blame?

SLIDE 31. CANADA’S TAR SANDS

Presenter notes: Whatever the cause of the current rises in oil prices, there is good reason to believe we have not yet reached Hubbert’s era of “peak oil” production. One of the effects of higher prices is that oil deposits that were once considered uneconomic to exploit have now become viable. The largest of the these unconventional oil deposits is the Athabasca tar sands of Albert, Canada. Amazingly this deposit contains over half the world’s oil reserves, equal to 1.75 trillion barrels. The oil is mixed together with sand near the surface and is extracted by opencast mining using giant dumper trucks! The Athabasca tar sands together with other probable large oilfields in the Arctic and Antarctica will probably stave of oil shortages for several decades to come.

SLIDE 32. GLOBAL WARMING

Presenter notes: Although there probably won’t be an “Oil Crisis” in the shortterm, there are other good reasons for investing in alternative sources of power now. The main reason is that oil and gas are a major source of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. Together they contribute to global warming which is one of the biggest headaches for modern society to deal with. Oil and gas produce far fewer greenhouse gases than coal per watt of energy produced. However, renewal energy sources like solar, wind and nuclear power are far less polluting. That said, renewal energy has not yet been sufficiently developed to replace fossil fuels as the world’s energy source. As a result, we will have to live with the environmental consequences of oil and gas for centuries to come – unless we act quickly.

CONCLUDING SLIDES

SLIDE 33. OIL AND GAS

Presenter notes: In this talk we have discussed how oil and gas are formed, how geologists find and produce it, and why it is of such political importance in modern society. I hope you have learned just how much we rely on this precious non‐renewable resource and how pressing is the need to swiftly find alternative sources of energy. Oil and gas has been fundamental for the growth of society for the past fifty years, but in a further fifty years we will need to have weaned ourselves off this hydrocarbon slime!

(from http://www.earth4567.com)

5.7 You are asked to prepare a presentation on the topic you are particularly interested in. Your speech should be not more than 10-15 minutes.

6 . Writing

6.1 Study the information given below on how to write a good Complaint Letter.

A complaint letter is a formal letter and hence, it should follow the format used for writing a formal business letter. Though you may be really angry, you should not vent your frustration by writing a five to seven page complaint letter because most times people do not have the time to read letters that run into several pages. To ensure that your letter is noticed and action is taken to solve your problem, make sure that you write a complaint letter that is concise and to the point. The length of your complaint letter should not go beyond one page.

Another thing that you should remember is that even though your letter should not be a very long one, it should include all the details about the complaint you are making. For instance, you want to complaint about the electronic mixer that you bought which showed certain problems from the first day you used it. In such a case, it is important that you include all the details about the purchase including the date on which you brought it, product number, the name of the store from where you brought it, etc. In the same way, if you want to write a complaint letter to the airlines because of some error they committed about your flight timings, making you miss your flight, you should mention the flight number, date on which you booked the ticket, the person who attended you, etc. It is also crucial to attach copies of documents regarding your complaint like the receipt, warranty card, etc. However, make sure that you attach the photocopies and not the original documents with the complaint letter.

An important factor that you have to keep in mind is that your tone of writing should be polite and courteous. Though you may be very angry about the situation, you should not be sarcastic or try to threaten the other person about it through the letter. You must remember that the person who will be reading your letter is usually not the person who is directly responsible for the problem your are facing. Hence, be polite in your letter and you will surely receive a solution for your problem. You can also give a suggestion as to how you want your problem to be solved at the end of the letter. Also, mention the time period that you are ready to wait, however see to it that it is reasonable. If you do not find any reply or phone call from the company after that period of time or after a month of sending the letter, you should send another letter of complaint to the company.

(from http://ubsjournal.com/business-startup/953-letter)

6.2 Remember that the Letter of Complaint usually includes the following stages:

1. Background This section describes the situation; e.g.:

   • I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.

   • I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2010 at the Fortune Hotel (22-25 January) and found it informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organisational problems.

   • I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned regarding recent newspaper reports on the financial situation of the bank. Your company is listed as the auditor in the latest annual report of the bank, so I am writing to you to ask for an explanation of the following issues.

   • I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and drinks at the 'European Restaurant' on 18 January this year.

2. Problem

- Cause:

• On 4 June 2010 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries.

• Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable.

• You sent us an invoice for $10,532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount.

• We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mislabelled diagrams in the sample book. 

- Effect:

• This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfil our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.

• Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would not accept my application.

• I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction.

• This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are therefore unable to sell these books.