Free Trade

1. Listen to the first part of a radio interview with Ian McPherson, an expert on international trade. Complete the definition of free trade he gives.

It’s a situation in which goods come into and out of a country without any …….¹ or …….². Countries which truly believe in free trade try to ……³ their trade, that’s to say, they take away ……⁴ to trade. They have open ……⁵ and few controls of goods at ……⁶.

2. Listen to the second part of the radio interview. Note down five things which stop people trading freely. Explain briefly the meaning of each one. For example: 1 Tariffs. These are taxes on imported goods.

3. Listen to the third part of the radio interview and to the exercises.

1. When there is a policy of deregulation:

1. companies compete freely;

2. here are a lot of government controls;

3. companies must follow regulations.

2. According to Ian McPherson, what is the greatest benefit of free trade? Choose the best answer.

1. more choice of products;

2. better-made products;

3. more expensive products;

4. higher salaries;

5. a wider choice of jobs.

   1. Complete this sentence.

Some countries do not practice free trade because they wish to:

1. fight against ……¹ competition, for example, dumping;

2. protect their ……² industries, because they are important to the economy;

3. be less ……³ on foreign imports, because their economies need developing.

2. What trend in international trade does Ian McPherson mention? Why does he think the trend is a good one?

4. Discuss these questions.

   1. To what extent do you have free trade in your country?

   2. Should certain industries in your country be protected? If so, which ones?

   3. Is free trade always a good thing, in your opinion?

SPEAKING

A. Useful language: Complaining on the telephone.

COMPLAINING	DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS
Making the complaint I’m ringing to complain about… I’m sorry, but I’m not satisfied with… Unfortunately, there’s a problem with…	Showing understanding Oh dear! Sorry to hear that. Mm, I see what you mean. I’m sorry about the problem/delay.
Explaining the problem The CD player doesn’t work. There seems to be a problem with… We haven’t received the…	Getting the facts Could you give me some details, please? What happened exactly? What’s the problem exactly?
Insisting It really isn’t good enough. I’d like to know why…	Making excuses/denying responsibility It’s not our policy to replace items. It’s not our fault that it hasn’t arrived. I’m afraid that’s not quite right.
Threatening If you don’t replace the product, I’ll complain to the manager. If you can’t deliver on time, we’ll have to contact other suppliers.	Promising action OK, I’ll look into it right away. I’ll check the details and get back to you.

Ex. 1. Listen to a customer making a complaint. Answer these questions.

1. What is the customers’ complaint?

2. What solution does the customer service representative suggest?

3. What solution does the customer want?

4. How does the call end?

Ex. 2. Listen again and complete the extracts from the dialogue.

Customer services	I’m sorry to hear that. What ……1 to be the ……2.
Customer services	Could you give me ……, 3 please?
Customer services	I’m afraid it’s ……5 to replace items.
Customer	Well, that’s not really ……6.
Customer services	All right then. Bring the machine in and we’ll see what ……7 for you.

Ex. 3. One of you is the Production Manager for a power tools manufacturer. The other is a supplier of components. Role play the following telephone call. Use phrases from the Useful language box.

Production Manager	Supplier
Ring your supplier to complain about some electric motors (order No. PV 205) which have a number of defects (don’t fit, not up to usual standard, etc.).	Deal tactfully with the complaint. Show understanding. Get the facts. Promise action.

B. Role-play:

Divide into two groups – economists and the government.

The government use arguments to advocate trade restrictions.

The economists prove the benefits of free trade.

C. Discus the following issues:

1. Do you agree that people’s tastes today are more homogeneous? Why? Which products do you know of that are found in most parts of the world today?

2. To what extent do you have free trade in your country?

3. What does your country export and import? What are the reasons for this?

4. Which countries are your major trading partners?

5. Which ‘uneconomic’ (or internationally uncompetitive) sectors, if any, do you think should be protected in your country?

6. Would total free trade result in the creation of jobs, or in unemployment, in your country?

7. Is free trade always a good thing, in your opinion?