The Dress code

Now, it’s been brought to my attention that certain members of staff have been flouting the dress code. So I want to make it crystal clear to everyone just exactly what’s expected in terms of attire. Those of you who work in reception must be, how shall I put it, business like, at all times. You are the first person visitors see when they enter the building. Whether they then go on to the Managing Director or the canteen is irrelevant. You create the first impression of the company; and as we all know, first and last impressions count. Now for men that means a tie and a dark suit – accepted busuness practice. For women, a suit, er, that can be a trouser suit, or a smart dress or skirt and jacket. It goes without saying that hair and so on needs to be neat and tidy. The accountants. You never know when a client may come in to see you. You may think you’re not in the public relations business but in a way, you are. And, I know most of the time people make appointments but there are odd ocassions when someone just happens to be in the area and decides to come in. In this case you are the embodiment of your profession. This is a firm with a good reputation; clients expect their accountant to reflect this not only in their work but also in the way the present themselves. Don’t forget in many people’s eyes sloppy clothes means sloppy work, and I must say, I tend to agree.

The only possible exception to this is the so called dress-down Friday. This new idea. And, of course, that only applies if you have no appointments with clients in your diary. Now this doesn’t mean that you can turn up wearing whatever you like. It’s got to be smart-casual. That’s what it says here. And that still means a tie, but you can wear smart jeans and a jacket or even a sweater. What I want to emphasise is that it’s a matter of professional pride, the way you dress.

T. 11

Book Club

Amy So, Ann; why did you suggest this book?

Ann Well, I’ve bought quite a few self-help books over the past few months and I suggested this one for the book club because my brother’s been telling me to read it for ages. Apparently; it’s sold over 16 million copies and it’s still selling well, which surprised me because it’s pretty basic stuff, really; I mean, you know, smile at people – that’s a bit obvious, isn’t it? Or make the other person feel important. That’s pretty obvious, too. But as my brother said, if what Carnegies’s saying is that self-evident, then why don’t people do it? And he’s got a point.

Sy Yeah, I agree with your brother there. And OK, even if some of the points he makes in the book seem basic, I mean, I still find it fascinating. Actually, I think people are getting fed up with me talking about it! I’ve told at least ten people about it at work this week. To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve read a book like this and even though I haven’t quite finished it yet – I mean, I’ve, I’ve read about 150 pages so far – I totally agree with what he’s saying, I mean, the bit where it says “as a rule we aren’t good listeners,” I mean, that’s so true. I mean we’re usually just waiting to speak, if someone’s talking about something that’s happening to them, or happened to them, then most people are just waiting to butt in, aren’t they, with you know, “Same thing happened to me,” and off they go, you know, wittering on about themselves. I mean, I think Carnegie’s right when he says that if you want people to like you, you’ve got to learn to really pay attention to what they’re saying. Yeah, I mean, actually encourage the other person to talk about themselves, by asking questions, I mean, showing that you are interested in them. Anyway, I’ve been trying to be a more attentive listener and not interrupt, but it, I tell you, it takes some self-discipline, I can… Soon as you’ve finished reading it, I mean, I’m going to give it to my brother, because he’s got no social skills whatsoever! I mean, it’s true!

T.12

Press in Britain

Interviewer: Could you tell us, Andrew, is there still a difference between the tabloid newspapers and the so-called quality press in Britain?

Andrew: Oh yeah, there’s a huge difference. I mean, physically you’ll see the difference straightaway because a tabloid paper is smaller, the so-called quality press, otherwise known as broadsheets or the heavies, have, up to now tended to be bigger. Recently, because of the problems people have had, say on trains, on buses, opening newspapers that are too big, they’ve become smaller. The Times, for example, has gone into the tabloid format but the tone of the paper hasn’t changed – they still use more serious language, they still use smaller headlines, they still present the news in a more sober kind of fashion. Whereas, a tabloid newspaper tends to direct your eyes more across the page, huge pictures, huge headlines – it tells you what to think and how to react. Also the tabloid paper tend to have a a much bigger circulation – they sell, they sell in the millions whereas the broadsheets sell in the hundreds or thousands, and that’s, that’s the sort of reflection of the kind of, the way society breaks up, you know – of the way society is constructed. The more intellectual end of the newspaper market, would, they maybe sell between 3-4.00.000 and 800.000 and the biggest selling papers sell about 3 million, and they’re the furthest downmarket.

Interviewer: Can you tell us, Andrew, what kind of stories really sell newspapers?

Andrew: Well, it depends what newspaper you’re talking about, the, you have to – as a journalist – think about who’s reading your paper when you’re deciding how to priorities your stories. The broadsheet newspapers tend to focus on the more serious stories – political stories especially are a great favorite for them to lead on. If you go rather to the other end of the market with the downmarket, so called red-top tabloids, they like TV stories, they like stories about film stars, they like stories about royals, they like crime stories, something with a much, sort of brasher, instant appeal.

T. 13

Studying Economics

Teacher: Right, settle down please…OK, OK, a show of hand here, how many of you are considering studying economics next year? Ah, two, I promise you those people are not related to me in any way. Right, so why should anyone want to study economics? After all, it’s often referred to as “the gloomy science,” but believe me it isn’t. And I’ve got three minutes to convince you that rather than being gloomy, it is in fact optimistic – it could save your world. So, I’m going to divide the talk into three sections. First of all, how economics is related to real life. Then I’ll go on to the intellectual challenge. And finally I’ll discuss future careers.

Teacher: Let us start with world issues. How many of you would like to make the world a better place? Ah good, three of you this time! Let’s take poverty. The current rise in world food prices is likely to lead to a serious outbreak of famine in less-developed countries which rely on rice and wheat. We hear a lot about this from politicians, yet its roots and consequences are economic. In fact, most of the world’s problems can be understood in terms of economics. Obviously, it won’t provide easy answers to these problems but it does clarify the issues. For example, we exploit the earth’s resources, trees, oil, etc., in order to create economic wealth, but we don’t realize the real cost of doing so.

T. 14

Gender Issue

Interviewer Do you think being a man or a woman has ever stopped you from doing something you wanted to do? And if you could live your life again as a man or a woman, which would you choose and why?

Em So far in my life, being a woman hasn`t stopped me doing anything that I`ve wanted to do. An experience that springs to mind was when my boyfriend and I were travelling around Italy and we ran out of money. So we needed to find work, and we found work on a building site. So Toby was building and I was Toby`s labourer. And that`s not a typical role for a woman, but it was a really good experience. If I could live my life again, I would definitely come back as a woman, for the simple fact that I`ve really thoroughly enjoyed my life so far. And I hope it carries on to be as much fun as it already has been – as a woman.

BOB I`ve never really thought about it. Everything I`ve sort of wanted to do has always been from a male perspective. So, I don`t know any other way of behaving other than being a man. No, all the things like sport and work and that, I`ve never had any problems with – it`s all flowed probably from being, well, a man, I guess, so no, I don`t think it`s hindered me at all. Definitely, I`m happy staying a man, I real, you know, I really enjoy it. But if for a day or two I could come back as a woman, just to gain, gain a greater understanding or empathy, then I could probably do that. As long as I could revert back to being a man…at will.

MICK Well, yeah funnily enough the one thing that I cannot do and probably will never be able to do unless science progresses far beyond I imagine it will, is give birth. It`s something that biologically, obviously I can`t do. And it is something I do think about.

T.15