Case study
Background
The Pacific Hotel is in Sydney, Australia. Twelve people want to book rooms for next week.
Ground floor First floor
Guests have the following room requirements:
Anna and three friends aged 50-70. They want two double rooms. They can pay A$240 for each room.
Mr and Mrs Schmidt. They are just married. They can pay A$280.
Mr Jensen and his son. The son is in a wheelchair. They can pay A$280.
Mr Wang is a writer and wants a quiet room. He can payA$180.
Madame Berger and her rich friend. They want a sunny room with a lovely view. Price is not important.
Ms Steele, a businesswoman, wants a large, quiet room. Price is not. important.
A. Work in pairs. You are the Hotel Manager and the Assistant Manager. Decide which room(s) you can offer each guest.
We can offer Anna rooms 1 and 7.
We can't use room 1, it's occupied.
B. Now work in groups of four. Compare your ideas.
C. Look at this extract from a telephone conversation between the hotel receptionist and one of the guests.
A Pacific Hotel. Good morning. How can I help you?
В Hello. This is Li Wang here. I'd like to book a room from Tuesday till Saturday next week.
A Do you want a single or a double?
В Single, please. And if possible, I'd like a quiet room.
A Right. Let me check. Yes, we have a single room on the ground floor then, but I'm afraid it's very small. В Is that all you have?
A Well, there's a larger single on the same floor, but that room is very noisy, I'm afraid.
В OK, then. How much is the small single per
night? A It's A$i40. В Fine.
A All right. Can I take your details, please?
D. Work in pairs. Choose another guest and role-play a similar telephone conversation.
List of business English idioms
A done deal - a final decision or agreement
A Mickey Mouse job - a job done incorrectly in an extremely poor manner using the simplest, easiest, cheapest and fastest way possible
Above board - without dishonesty; legal
Basket case – a company or a person who is in such bad condition that they are beyond help
Bean counter - a person, such as an accountant or financial officer, who is concerned with quantification
Belly up - bankrupt; dead (like a dead fish that floats belly up)
Black market - illegal buying and selling of goods or currencies
Business before pleasure - you should finish your work before starting to relax and enjoy yourself
Cash cow – a product or investment that steadily continues to be profitable
Сushy job – an easy, comfortable job
Dead wood - people or things that are no longer useful or productive; the employees that are losing a company money
Dog eat dog - people will do anything to be successful, even if what they do harms other people
Empty suit - someone who is high up in a company due to unfair hiring practices, such as nepotism, and doesn’t really do anything for the company, someone who is not particularly good at their job
Fast track a project - to make a project a high priority; to speed up the time frame of a project
Foot in the door - an introduction or way in to something; a first step in working toward a goal
Get the boot - to be dismissed
Ideas hamster – a person with a creative, inventive mind who is constantly churning out new ideas
Pass the buck - pass responsibility on to someone else, to make them responsible for a problem that you should deal with yourself
Put / stick your oar in - involve yourself in a discussion or a situation when other people do not want you to.
Rat race - a fierce struggle for success, especially in one’s career or business.
Seagull Manager - someone who is brought to in a company to deal with a problem or make changes, achieves nothing, annoys everyone and then leaves
Shape up or ship out! - improve your behavior or leave; if you don't improve your performance, you're going to get fired
White knight - a "friendly investor", it’s may be a corporation or an individual that acquires a corporation(s) at a fair consideration during a period in which the corporation acquired (target corporation) is facing a hostile acquisition from another potential acquirer (black knight).