Business English Studies Course

Mr Blake: "Now, this young man English. What do you think of him?"

Mrs Meredith: "Well, I've heard good things about him."

Mr Blake: "He's given Ed George as a referee. Can't stand the man myself."

Mrs Meredith: "This Professor Doors has a very high reputation though"

Mr Blake: "How do Brauch, Campbell feel about this? Don't we do business with them?"

Mrs Meredith: "I don't think they know. We do equity investments with them, but I think they will appreciate a man in our company who knows how they do business."

Mr Blake: "Well, we had better find out, hadn't we?"

Mrs Meredith: "Of course. I'll have a word with Joe Foster - he handles most of our business with Brauch, Campbell. I'll tell him to put the word out."

Mr Blake: "Hm. Well, if Campbell Brausch are happy, how do Personnel feel? We can still get someone else."

Mrs Meredith: "Oh, they like him. Young, ambitious, fully-trained and living locally. They think we should go for it."

Mr Blake: "Wait until you hear from Foster. If that's ok, set up an interview. We'll try to start him, say, at the end of next month?

ANALYSIS

Analysis.
(Remember: this analysis is particularly true about British language and culture, though mostly it is the same for other English-speaking countries like Australia and the United States.)

Most important. If Ivan has not told Brausch, Campbell that he is leaving, he must do it now, before Mr Foster tells them. You can tell Ivan that he has probably got the job, but only if Brausch, Campbell do not object to him working for Mr Blake's company. If Brausch, Campbell do object, Ivan will not get the job.
You can also tell Ivan that Mrs Meredith supports him, but she will not do anything to upset Mr Blake. Mr Blake is not an easy man to work for, because he does not like people arguing with him, and he is not very considerate.
Also tell Ivan that putting Mr George as a referee was a bad mistake. Fortunately this has not caused a big problem, but he should be careful about this in the interview. If he doesn't make any mistakes in the interview, he will probably get the job.

Sentence by Sentence analysis.

Mr Blake: "Now, this young man English. What do you think of him?"
(Mr Blake is older and/or more senior to Ivan.)

Mrs Meredith: "Well, I've heard good things about him."
(Mrs Meredith won't give her personal opinion until she knows what Mr Blake thinks, but she is positive toward Ivan.)

Mr Blake: "He's given Ed George as a referee. Can't stand the man myself."
(Mr Blake knows Mr George well, since he uses the familiar form of his name. Since Ivan claims to have "good informal contacts", he should have known this.)

Mrs Meredith: "This Professor Doors has a very high reputation. Maybe we should see what she thinks."
(Mrs Meredith still wants to give Ivan a chance, but she is not going to disagree openly with Mr Blake.)

Mr Blake: "How do Brauch, Campbell feel about this? Don't we do business with them?"
(Mr Blake is worried about "poaching" (taking from someone else's territory) from a friendly company, and that this might damage business relations.)

Mrs Meredith: "I don't think they know. We do equity investments with them, but I think they will appreciate a man in our company who knows how they do business."
(Mrs Meredith thinks that both companies would benefit from having someone who can act as a link between them. This is in Ivan's favour.)

Mr Blake: "Well, we had better find out, hadn't we?"
(This is rather rude. Mr Blake does not like the Mrs Meredith supporting Ivan so strongly when he is not sure. He wants to see if Brauch, Campbell agree to losing this employee. If Ivan has not told his boss what he is planning he will have a problem. This does not worry Mr Blake.)

Mrs Meredith: "Of course. I'll have a word with Joe Foster - he handles most of our business with Brauch, Campbell. I'll tell him to put the word out."
(Mrs Meredith is not going to help Ivan if it offends Mr Blake. She tells him she will arrange for Campbell Brausch to be contacted informally.)

Mr Blake: "Hm. Well, if Campbell Brausch are happy, how do Personnel feel? We can still get someone else."
(Mr Blake is satisfied he has got his way. He has no personal problems with Ivan, and is satisfied with the rest of his CV. He is now saying that if Personnel agree, he will too.)

Mrs Meredith: "Oh, they like him. Young, ambitious, fully-trained and living locally. They think we should go for it."
(Again Mrs Meredith is not giving her opinion, but she is very happy to give someone else's positive opinion.)

Mr Blake: "Wait until you hear from Foster. If that's ok, set up an interview. We'll try to start him, say, at the end of next month?
(The interview should be a formality. Whether or not Ivan gets the job will depend on how strongly Campbell, Braush feel about his leaving.)

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