Case study 2 - Export marketing

Please click on the link to have access to our next international commerce case study which will be discussed in class. Be ready for an oral presentation.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/22645593/Export-Marketing-APPLES-Case-Study

Globalization reading text

Please click on the link to have access to our next reading text:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/22354177/IT-Lesson-2-Globalization
Lesson 2 - Globalization

Infinitives and gerunds

Check these grammar links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerund
Gerunds

http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Infinitive
Infinitives

http://english4arcos.blogspot.com/
Infinitives and gerunds

Case study 1 - Comparative advantage

Comparative Advantage in International Trade

A case study

FJ Company is a Miami-based corporation involved in buying products from U.S. manufacturers for sale in Latin American and Caribbean countries. The company also finds U.S. markets for products imported from both Europe and Latin America. FJ has twelve employees, including the general manager, a marketing vice president, a treasurer/controller, two sales managers, four operations people, and three secretaries. The firm’s annual sales have run at about $8.1 million during the past three years, after growing from $200,0000 in 2006, the first year of operations. Despite the various business-cycle problems that have occurred, this small firm has survived and is looking for ways to expand.

The general manager of FJ is reviewing the profitable business that his company has had from importing fertilizers for central Florida farmers since the mid-2000s. The French supplier of FJ’s fertilizers (Ferticosa) has always shipped high-quality merchandise, with few delays or other logistical problems. Recently, the possibility of competition from other suppliers has begun to worry the general manager. Fertilizers sales have been such a dependable part of FJ’s total sales that he does not want to lose that business.

Pricing, however, is becoming a problem. During the second major oil price hike in 2007-2008, raw material prices rose dramatically, such that FJ’s costs tripled by year-end 2001 to $240 per ton for its medium-grade fertilizer. This price reflects only the f.o.b. cost of the fertilizer at shipment from the port of Le Havre, France. Fortunately for FJ, demand for fertilizer by the firm’s main customers in central Florida has remained high, even at the higher prices that FJ passed on.

Recently the company has been notified by the U.S. Treasury Department that fertilizers probably will be added to the list of products valued at the “American Selling Price” for customs purposes. (Under American Selling Price valuation, the tariff charged on an imported product is calculated as a percentage of the current U.S. price, rather than as a percentage of the stated price of the shipment.) Such a policy could raise the tariff payment significantly, because U.S. prices are about 15 percent higher than the f.o.b. price from France.

Competitive problems for FJ have intensified since another French firm, Jardiner, set up a phosphate mine and processing facility near Tampa, Florida. Phosphates are a major component in most kinds of fertilizers. So far, Jardiner has been exporting the phosphates back to its French fertilizer plant, but it is expected that the company will soon begin making fertilizer in Florida. Jardiner ranks among the largest fertilizer producers in the world. At the present time, this French firm sees a cost of production of phosphates in Florida which undercuts the approximately $40 per ton cost in France by 30 percent. (All of these numbers are from 2001; the percent of FJ’s total sales. Though no major problems have arisen yet, the future looks rather clouded. Demand for fertilizer seems likely to remain substantial, but price competition is becoming an important factor.

Critical thinking

1. Why do companies engage in international trade? Discuss some of the opportunities and problems that multinational companies face.
2. Under what circumstances is exporting a certain product to another country profitable?
3. Give several examples of products that are exported from or imported to your country because of a comparative advantage.
4. Imagine that you are the manager of a new import-export firm in your country. What products will you trade? To which countries will you import or export these products. Give reason to your choices.
5. What are some of the specific problems that you might encounter as manager of the import-export company in your country?

Case analysis

1. How important is the fertilizer business to the FJ Company? What other business should the company consider entering?
2. What is the level of demand for the fertilizer in central Florida? Is the demand likely to change over the next few years?
3. Describe how the pricing of the fertilizer is becoming a problem for FJ Company. Consider the effect of the changing cost of:

1. oil b)
2. raw materials
3. c) U.S. tariff on imported fertilizers.

4. Describe the competitive problems that FJ Company may face from Jardiner, considering the following points:

1. What operations has Jardiner set up in Florida?
2. What impact have these operations had on FJ’s fertilizer business?
3. What is the comparative advantage of producing fertilizers in the United States rather than France? What possible effect could this have on FJ’s fertilizer business?

5. Based on your discussion of these issues, make recommendations on how to expand FJ’s business and how to increase profitability?

Atención día viernes 09/10/09

Estimados alumnos,

Les informo que mañana 09 de octubre me será imposible ir a clases. Por favor acepten mis disculpas y hagan arreglos para no asistir. Háganle saber a sus compañeros. Gracias.

Francisco Salinas

PS: No olviden hacer la lectura asignada.
http://geocities.com/englishforinternationaltrade/
Lesson 1 – International Trade

Welcome to UMC Boleita / Reading assigment 1

Welcome to English VI

I'm pleased that you have enrolled in this course and I look forward to working with you. I encourage you to begin working right away on the material hereby enclosed.

I love teaching English for International Trade and Logistics purposes because I believe students can grow and develop their language skills, when they pursuit with their own sense of empowerment the learning they want.

We will be using this mean of communication to support our teaching and learning goals.

Be ready to create tangible and measureable results for our next class.

All the best,


Francisco Salinas

NEXT READING

http://geocities.com/englishforinternationaltrade/
Lesson 1 – International Trade

ULAC Postgraduate students

Estimados profesores de inglés instrumental de la ULAC,

Me complace mucho el haber compartido my English grammar knowledge con ustedes el pasado sábado 19 de septiembre.

Como les prometí, he aquí los vínculos de estudio interactivos que solicitaron:

• Nouns (incluye una gramática más completa: regular, irregular, countable and uncountable)
  

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/330/grammar/

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/nouns/characte.htm

• Personal pronouns
  

http://usuarios.lycos.es/englishweb/gramatica/Personpronoun.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/pronouns/personal_pronouns.htm

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/pronouns/exercises

• Articles

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/inenglish/starter/a_grammar/ine_starter_grammar01/

http://a4esl.org/q/h/fb-lb-aanon.html

http://www.smic.be/smic5022/Articles1.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/cross/articles_quiz.htm

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/cw-articles.html

http://www.manythings.org/fq/1/9995.html

• Possessive adjectives
  

http://a4esl.org/q/h/fb005-bp.html

http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz18mdf.htm

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/inenglish/starter/a_grammar/ine_starter_grammar06/

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/pronouns/exercises?03

• Demonstrative pronouns

http://www.inglesvip.com/exercises/demonstrative-pronouns-2.html

http://eng.1september.ru/2003/44/1.htm (ejercicio 3)

http://www.mcwdn.org/grammar/prodemonquiz/prodemonquiz.html

• Simple present
  

http://www.mcwdn.org/grammar/prodemonquiz/prodemonquiz.html

http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/psnv.html

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/330/grammar/pres.htm (gramática y 2 ejercicios)

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/330/grammar/presnq1.htm (2 ejercicios)

http://www.myenglishgrammar.com/english/exercise-2-verbs.html (ejercicio del2.1: del 11 al 20; 31-50 - 2.2: del 1 al 10)

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/inenglish/starter/a_grammar/ine_starter_grammar02/

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/inenglish/starter/a_grammar/ine_starter_grammar08/

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/inenglish/starter/a_grammar/ine_starter_grammar07/

• Simple past

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/330/grammar/pasted1.htm (2 ejercicios - regulares)

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/330/grammar/irpast1.htm (2 ejercicios - irregulares)

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/inenglish/starter/a_grammar/ine_starter_grammar14/ (past simple o presente simple)

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/verbs/past.htm (past simple o presente simple)

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/inenglish/starter/a_grammar/ine_starter_grammar15/

• Herramienta de base de datos para investigar

http://www.fileamigo.com/Home.htm

Nota final
Es posible que se adicionen otros ejercicios en los próximos días o semanas. Por favor manténganse atentos.

Happy students!

Un grato recuerdo del último día de clase con algunos de los alumnos del curso de Inglés VI, pertenecientes a la sección VC-B-Tm, de Administración, Transporte y Comercio International.

La foto fue tomada el 16 de julio del 2009.

De izquierda a derecha se encuentran: Irene Pérez, Mary Carmen Castillo, Nathalie Mata, Kristhian Lugo, Airubis Cabrera, Carla Mata, Donel Ramos, Dayiret Angulo, Rosmery Martínez, Jaime González, Luisana Hermoso, El Teacher (Francisco Salinas), Miguel Guerra, Zulay Martínez.

Aquí están Cristina Rojas, Juan Javier Rodríguez y Zulymar Melendez.

Confiamos que todos hayan aprendido más de lo anticipado y continúen "moving forward to create results, while contributing to others". !Mucho éxito!

Résumé guides

Enclosed you will find a couple of helpful guides for writing outstanding résumes.

http://www.jobsetc.gc.ca/pdf/resumes_e.pdf

http://www.usfco.forces.gc.ca/adm/pdp-pps/doc/hpw-cap-eng.pdf

Tips on writing business memos

The memorandum (or memo) is a common form of business communication. Memos are written by everyone from junior executives and engineers to CEOs. Even in this age of e-mails, mastering the memo format is important, because good professional e-mails and good memos communicate information in exactly the same way.

Memo format

Unlike letters, which include inside addresses, salutations, and complimentary closings, memos have just two sections: the heading and the body. A memo’s heading includes the following information, usually organized like this:

Date: June 8^th, 2009
To: Operations Manager
From: Marc Garcia, Logistics Manager
Subject: Marketing plan -- shipping more cement to the Caribbean islands

The subject line of the memo should be short but accurate; since it often determines where or how the memo will be filed or even if it will be read.

Memo Content

A good business memo is informative but short. It should have a clear purpose. It should take the reader’s needs and knowledge into account. And, it should be carefully organized.

The memo’s purpose

Before you start writing, think about why you are writing your memo. What do you want your memo to accomplish? Are you just sharing information? Requesting a meeting so that you can discuss the memo in more detail? Requesting something more, such as money or staff? Make sure that your memo explains its purpose to the reader.

Organizing the memo

1. Introduction

Most memos begin with a one- or two-sentence introduction of the issue you are writing about and the reason you are writing (the memo’s purpose).

2. Background

Then, depending on the reader’s needs (see above) most memos provide a short paragraph of background information.

3. List of issues or recommendations

Then, the memo lists the issues or recommendations and provides a sentence or two with each one.

Job interview readings

Dear Students,

Enclosed you will find a couple of addresses that might help you to get ready for a job interview.

Please make sure you get familiar with these readings, as they will be very helpful for your next oral test.

1. http://esl.about.com/od/businessspeakingskills/a/job_interview.htm
2. http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa120797.htm

Regards,

FS

Maritime English - Oral presentation evaluation criteria

Based on an evaluation scale, student English language usage will be assessed on five criteria values:

Pronunciation
Vocabulary
Fluency
Grammar
Content
Intelligibility

Additionally, students will also be assessed for their oral presentation when using multimedia innovative resources and materials.

The scale is 1 to 5, being 5 the maximum achievable mark, which it is equivalent to 20 points. Abilities and multimedia innovative resources will sum up 18 plus 2 points respectively.

Value estimations

5 points
Speaks fluently, coherently and accurately and it is easy intelligible, makes no grammar mistakes and shows great control over the richness of the vocabulary. Reveals language command for this level.

4 points
Speaks intelligibly and fluently. Shows high degree of control over the grammar. Most of the constructions are mature and complex with very few repetitions. Able to incorporate with ease varied lexical items. Show very few mispronunciations. Reveals an adequate for the level.

3 points
Speaks with certain degree of fluency but message is inaccurate or incomplete. Mispronunciation and grammar errors tend to increase as topic is developed. Construction tends to be simple and generally out of focus. Message distorts reflects a certain degree of language communication inadequacy for this level.

2 points
Speaks haltingly and it is often at a loss for words and phrases. Shows great difficulty coordinating ideas in a simple or uncomplicated manner. Frequent mispronunciations and grammar errors make message unintelligible. Overall pattern of communication is rather inadequate for this level.

1 point
Practically unable to coordinate ideas or communicate a message. Shows a poor level or lack of control over the vocabulary and makes abundant grammar mistakes which make communication unintelligible. Shows great difficulty pronouncing and articulating words and or expressions. Overall performance reveals definitive lower and fossilized level of English.

Parts of a ship and ship types (FIND THE WRITTEN ERRORS)

Knowing the parts of the ship will increase your understanding about the mariner’s tasks and occupations at these places.

The major parts of a ship

The core of a ship is the structural keel, a heavily reinforced spine which runs along the bottom of the ship, in the middle. The keel supports the structure of the ship, and is the first part of the ship to be built, since it serves as a foundation. Some ships also have a hydrodynamic keel designed to increase their performance efficiency, which takes the form of a streamlined projection from the bottom of the ship to help it move quickly and smoothly through the water.

The framework for the hull or shell, the body of the ship, is attached to the keel. The hull is the most visible part of a ship, because it is the body of the watercraft. The hull makes the ship buoyant while providing shelter to those on board, and is divided by bulkheads and decks, depending on the size of the ship. Bulkheads are compartments which run across the ship from side to side, creating isolated areas in the ship, while decks are analogous to the floors of a house.

A small ship may only have one primary deck, while larger ones may have over 10 decks, stacked from top to bottom. The very bottom of a ship is known as the bilge, and the top is usually called the top deck. The top deck is broken up by the bridge, a covered room which serves as the command center for the ship. On larger ships, the top deck may have several levels, designed to isolate various types of the ship. A larger ship may also have several deck areas topside, including the poop deck, the deck in the rear of the ship, and the afterdeck, located directly behind the bridge. The rig, including masts, rigging, and sails, rises up from the top deck. The front region of a ship is called the bow, and the rear is the stern. When someone is fore, they are in the front of the boat, while a sailor located amidships would be in the middle of the ship, and a person to the rear of the ship is aft. The right hand side of a ship is starboard, and the left is port.

Please view the parts of the ship diagrams on the following sites:

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004706/contents/2ndsea/engineering/page/e-11.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ship_diagram-numbers.svg

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/ShipsDiagrams/ShipViews.cfm

Type of ships

Knowing about the parts of a ship leads us inevitably to learn about the characteristics of ships in accordance to their uses and purposes.

The following pages offer a very good comprehensive classification and illustrate the job ship choices available to mariners and potential mariners around the world:

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004706/contents/2ndsea/engineering/page/e-11.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004706/contents/2ndsea/engineering/e-index.html

Marine occupations and the importance of English communication competency

Non-English language speakers interested in working in the maritime industry should be familiar with marine occupations terms.

Maritime students should also be familiar with the wide range of professional occupations found in the maritime industry, from marine transportation to human resources. Their job descriptions suit different ship and off-ship departments, which are related to deck, engine, safety, security, medical, service staff, platform and shore operations. These national or international seagoing related opportunities may include the following career disciplines and positions:

Marine Surveyor
Cargo Adjustor
Operations Manager
Freight Forwarder
Chief Engineer
First Assistant Engineer
Second Assistant Engineer
Oiler
Deckhand
Able-Bodied Seaman
Logistics Specialist
Logistics Manager
Bookkeeper
Accountant
Captain
First Officer
Second Officer
Third Officer
Electronics Officer
Radio Officer
Training Specialist
Instructor
Human Resources Specialist
Human Resources Manager
Clerical Assistant
Brokerage Coordinator
Analyst
Sales Representative
Customer Service Representative
Ocean Coordinator
Inland Coordinator
Student Intern
Cadet Trainee
Engine Cadet
Electrical Technical Cadet
Strategic Planner
Cost Control Analyst
Risk and Loss Management Specialist
Procurement Specialist

These occupation terms correspond to highly skilled professionals, responsible for moving or helping to move passengers and cargo safely around the world. They are trained to do the navigation, engineering and use the latest information technology. Considerable leadership and managerial skills are essential to ensure the safety and well being of the community of people living and working together at sea.

Since the correlation between English competency and safety is now widely recognized, non-English speakers, who are preparing themselves to work or are working in the maritime industry, should consider mastering the English language. Note that without speaking this language, the opportunities to find a job or the changes of career advancement within the industry are less to nothing.

The importance of successful English communication at sea cannot be overestimated. Effective communication onboard and between ship and shore is essential.

Prescription for success: a high performance mind-set for Maritime English Learners

Being effective in searching for a job requires efforts in researching and planning, and most of all, it requires a person who wants to thrive on outpacing his or her job seeker peers or competitors.

This is a work per se, a work of high performance, that when it is done smartly, it brings a great personal satisfaction, and obviously, a career’s job. This path can be understood as the productivity making process of an achiever. A path that depends on how a solution oriented person faces today’s tougher employment climate.

The key to success for a job seeker lies on his or her self-disciplined and creativity. This implies managing or developing a mindset that is destined to approaching life from the view stand of “being better means being different and multitalented”.

Approach 1 – Commitment to achieve

Achievement is success at finishing a job, which in turn means, having the attitude for getting only results, but effective results, through strategic decisions and practices.

All this is possible, when the job seeker brings innovation to shape his or her initiatives to find a job. Test and invest on yourself through new concepts. Distinguish yourself through discipline execution. Commit yourself to achieve success to bring out a new you within you.

Approach 2 – Plan to achieve

Success is achieved by planning and through research. First you need to understand the reasons “why” you want a particular job. Then the research will answer the “what” you want, the “when”, “where” and “how” to get the job that is being looked for. This planning works better if you write it down, or when your writing recognizes the “who” in terms of your own outstanding talents.

Advancement is based on merit, not tenure. In order to multiply your talents, you need to plan to achieve what you want.

Approach 3 – Work with excellence to get the job done

Follow your plan, do prompt follow ups, and don’t wait to get results. Insist constantly in networking. Remember that your results are obtained by moving forward, by daring to do the unexpected and by walking the extra mile.

Value working with excellence. Deliver the best in you. Failure is not a defeat, but it helps you to improve what needs to be changed.

Approach 4 - Self-assessment

It is very important for a job seeker to be clear about his or her own talents, abilities, work skills and education achievements in terms of the aimed work. A self-assessment or self-analysis helps you to do that because one should specialize in bettering one’s own strengths.

Once the personal inventory is at hand, seekers are in position to match their considerations with the work they are looking for. But in order to make these considerations really effective, a résumé should be written.

Approach 5 - Writing a résumé

Get the job done where the job is wanted presupposes the writing of an eye-catcher résumé. One that is unique and distinguishable among the other seekers. One that combines personal accomplishments with the understanding about the field occupation one wants eventually to work in.

There are a lot of Internet sites that address résumé writing issues. One of them, the Canadian University of Waterloo, offers very useful and friendly information for those learning English as a Second Language.

Please visit http://www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/steps.asp and complement your maritime career development with the information found in this e-manual.

Approach 6 – Explore job opportunities

At this state, you translate data into decisions.

The maritime industry has a wide range of available jobs for working on ships and in land. These jobs can be found by narrowing down personal options in accordance to some of the maritime industry segments. These options are traditionally segmented as follows:

· Cruises and ferries
· Offshore
· Port and shipyard
· Shipping
· Fishing
· Naval

Getting to know the segment where your potential occupation is, in relation to your core capabilities, allows you to calculate your risks and to foster yourself to specific targeted companies.

Approach 7 – Continuously renew yourself

High performers are never satisfied with the “status quo” and strive to revitalize themselves on an ongoing basis. They are permanently learning new ways to do things and live life. They understand the importance of building a wining mindset.

Final approach

A prescription to success involves the practicing of your personal comparative advantages to outperform your peers or competitors. Be the master of your own performance.

Multidisciplinary jobs found in the maritime industry

The employment with ocean carriers has evolved over the years. The traditional jobs aboard ocean-going vessels still apply job descriptions like first officer or second assistant engineer.

However, operations have become globalized. Maritime containerization has grown to be a major mode of cargo transport. Intermodal operations interfacing with rail and truck transportation have introduced disciplines such as freight forwarding, logistics, and operations management.

As the maritime industry expands, more employment opportunities become available. Jobs can be found in traditional carrier companies or in carriers that offer training programs to qualified candidates who want increasing responsibilities.

Because of the growth of the land-based operations, these companies have opportunities for analysts, accountants, auditors and surveyors, claims adjustment for damaged cargo and others.
Cargo may be broken in transit. It may have been exposed to salt water. Or steel may have been exposed to excessive moisture, where it sustained rust damage. Such losses require cargo surveyors and claims adjustors to reconcile the monetary losses with insurance carriers, subrogation companies and recipients of the cargo.

The jobs offered by these companies are diverse and multidisciplinary. Some will require a degree in engineering, or possibly qualification in refrigeration. Others may require expertise the rules of COGSA (Carriage of Goods by Sea Act), surveyor reports, bills of lading, letters of credit, and certain sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. Others may require familiarity with the latest software for accounting and auditing.

Many backgrounds and disciplines are sought by large ocean carriers today.

UNIT 1 - LISTENING ACTIVITY 2 (Edited)

Smokey Seas

Pollution from ships

Listen to the podcast presentation and do the activities that hereby follow.

Click to this address to start

http://www.scienceupdate.com/listen.php?id=4912

Part I

1. Listen and use the symbol "x" to choose the correct response.

The presentation is about …

a) a sea pollution news "______"
b) a health risk study "______"
c) an update to inform coastal people "______"
d) all of the above "______ "

The “smokey sea” was about …

a) car emissions happening on coastal cities "______"
b) ongoing vessels discharges and health risks "______"
c) science concerns in regards to sea pollution "______"
d) new project developments "______"

Part II

2. Listen and complete the presentation.

A __________ from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that cargo, __________ and cruise ships ­­­­__________ about two million pounds of sooty particulate pollution each year. That’s about half of what all the nation’s cars produce, and it’s all concentrated within _____ miles of shore.

The study __________ that the __________ are a significant health concern for residents of coastal cities—especially in cities that also have _____ levels of car, truck and power plant pollution.

In other environmental news, a new European Union project aims to __________ new technologies for tapping heat from deep in the earth. They recently __________ reservoirs in a region of Italy capable of producing more energy than a thousand wind turbines. I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society.

http://www.english6umc.blogspot.com/

UNIT 1 - (READING EXERCISE) - Edited

Pollution from ships

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."— Mahatma Gandhi

Read the thought-provoking article and answer the given questions. Be prepared to talk about these issues with classmates and the professor in class.

Water covers more than 70 percent of Earth's surface. It is essential to all life. Organisms can survive longer without food than without water. It is one of our most valuable resources.

Over the past fifty years, it has been recognized that the earth's oceans are under serious threat from all kind of wastes.

Society has also come to understand that its oceans are under serious threat from over-fishing, mineral exploration and coastal construction activities.

The detrimental effects of ocean pollution are physically visible at trashed beaches, where dead fish and mammals entangled in plastic products may sometimes be observed. They are additionally reflected in the significant toxic chemical concentrations in fish and other sea life.

The accumulations of some toxins, especially mercury, in the bodies of sea life have resulted in some harvestable seafood unfit for human consumption. Seriously affected areas include commercial and recreational fishing, beaches, resorts, human health, and other pleasurable uses of the sea.

Sea air pollution
In most countries, air pollution is the largest single environment-related cause of ill health. In other countries it is the second, after the scarcity of safe water. Many air pollution-related deaths and illnesses in people are proved to be due to respiratory infections.

Here are some facts. A single cargo ship coming into a harbor can release as much pollution as 350,000 current model year cars in one hour, while 16 container ships in port produce as many smog-forming emissions as one million cars and a single port visit by a cruise ship generates the emissions of more than 12,400 cars.

These ship smokestacks release toxic emissions that lead to acid rain, global warming, the formation of ground-level ozone, vegetation productivity reduction, and the damaging of health effects (heart ailments and lung diseases) to communities situated near ports. The environmental impact is far greater than previously estimated, as a 2003 study has found that large ships generate 30 percent of global nitrogen emissions - twice the previous estimates of 14 percent.

Port communities suffer the most from the diesel exhaust emitted by ships, but this pollution travels hundreds of miles inland depending on wind and weather patterns.

Despite the fact that ships are more energy efficient than other forms of commercial transportation, marine engines operate on extremely dirty fuels. Most large ships use the dirtiest and least expensive diesel available. Known as bunker oil, this fuel is the collection of residue from the production of higher grade fuels and contains significant concentrations of toxic compounds banned from use in most other industrial and consumer applications. It is thick as asphalt and must be heated to be burned.

Sea water pollution

The seas and oceans receive the brunt of human waste, whether it is by deliberate dumping or by natural run-off from the land. They cause harm to natural marine ecosystems and to human health.

The pollutants may be sewage (treated and untreated), industrial waste, oil spills, ballast water, military wastes (munitions and chemicals), entire ships, marine debris from ships (pallets, ropes, nets, anti-fouling paint and paint solvents, packaging items…), dredged material, construction debris, and radioactive wastes (both high- and low-level), farm waste, toxic chemicals, or inert materials that may smother, choke, or strangle living organisms.

Wastes enter the ocean through river, atmospheric, and pipeline discharge; construction; offshore mining; oil and gas exploration; and shipboard waste disposal. Here the pollutants enter marine food chains, building up their concentrations until they reach toxic levels.

The accumulations of some toxins, especially mercury, in the bodies of sea life have resulted in some harvestable seafood unfit for human consumption. It often takes human casualties to alert us that people died as a result of a pollutant building up in food chains.

Unfortunately, the ocean has become the ultimate dumping ground for civilization.

Sea to sky pollution solutions applied to ships
As Mahatma Gandi once said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the word". It only takes YOU to contribute to the changes from sea to sky pollution patterns.

As people change, technology changes for the good of all. As technology changes, we unconsciously give other people permission to deepen their efforts to make more positive actions.

It is necessary to identify and modify technology to produce effective and cost-effective solutions to monitor and mitigate, if not eliminate, the environmental and health impact of marine ships. Here are some feasible and reachable solutions:

By manufacturing alternative products
we develop and manufacture a variety of marine engines systems that provide innovative solutions to meet the needs of the marine industry.

By monitoring the marine activity industry
we develop and comply to international regulatory agreements.

By innovating new marine disposal ways
we create waste reception facilities in ports to avoid the illegal dumping of ship waste, whether oily bilge water, oil cargo slops from washed tanks and general 'household' garbage at sea.

By educating the maritime responses to pollution
we learn to correct attitude problems towards the environment, which means, we appropriate new ways on how to do things. That is, on how to prevent, stop, clean, eliminate, monitor, treat, dispose, reduce, use, reuse and recycle materials and pollutants that affect us today and future generations to come.

By planning responses to the environmental challenges
we increase the capacity of contingency plan arrangements to respond to spills of chemicals and heavy oils at the national and regional level.

Answer to the following questions

Should I leave behind my old ways and go green?

Preliminary awareness questions about earth and sea to sky pollution

1. Do I walk or take a vehicle for short distances?
2. Do I maintain your vehicle?
3. Do I know what carpooling is?
4. Do I commute by bike to work?
5. Do I use fluorescent light instead of incandescent light?
6. Do I set up your devices on power saving?
7. Am I the type of person that leaves the lights on in rooms?
8. Have I ever cleaned with homemade cleaning methods to avoid pollution?
9. Do I waste water while taking a shower with the water heater on?
10. Do I discard paper, plastic, metal and wood in any disposable dispenser?
11. Have I ever participated or got involved in advocacy groups promoting environmental awareness?
12. Do I tell others what to do with their waste?
13. Do I care about on street bad smells?
14. Have I ever complained to a person for his/her attitude towards air/water/land/noise pollution?
15. Am I the type of person that leaves waste behind for others to pick up?
16. Do I mind picking up after people you don’t know?
17. Do I smoke?
18. Can I carry on my own garbage until you find a garbage bin?
19. Do I reuse and recycle things or believe in having a healthy life?
20. How do I feel about pollution?

Competency Profile Questions

1. What is causing pollution?
2. Who and what is being affected by pollution?
3. How is the air, coast and ocean affected by pollution?
4. What's my solution or solutions to pollution?
5. How can I get involved in the pollution problem solving process?

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UNIT 1 (LISTENING SCRIPT 1) - Selecting a Business That Fits

SBA Small Business Training Network

Interview of Lou Davenport

by Host, Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson: Welcome to SBA’s Small Business Training Network. I’m Ron Johnson reporting from the US Small Business Administration, your small business resource. Every day SBA and its nationwide network of partners are helping millions of potential and current small business owners start, grow, and succeed. Resources and programs targeted for small businesses provide an advantage or a leg up necessary to help small businesses effectively compete in the marketplace. Today we’re discussing starting a business.

Now, it is said that the secret to starting a successful business is to find the need and fill it. However, starting a business must be pursued for the right reasons, or it’s destined to fail. It’s important that you select a business that blends with your interest, skills, and experiences.

Now, if you’re thinking about starting a business, check out SBA’s online Small Business Training Network or SBTN at www.sba.gov/training. The SBTN is a virtual campus offering free courses, workshops, publications, information and direct access to electronic counseling designed to assist those who want to start a business.

My guest today is Lou Davenport, District Director for SCORE in Eastern Pennsylvania. Lou has been a volunteer at SCORE, counselors to America’s small business, for 10 years. It’s great to have you on the program today, Lou.

Lou Davenport: I’m delighted to be here, Ron.

Ron Johnson: Tell us about SCORE and how they help small businesses.

Lou Davenport: Ron, SCORE is a nationwide organization 40 years old of some 10,000 volunteers who commit their time on a completely unpaid volunteer basis to provide counseling, workshop training, education services to aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small businesses that want to pursue their dream of owning and managing and successfully running their own business.

Ron Johnson: Is it true the secret to starting a successful business is to find a need and fill it?

Lou Davenport: Yes, it is, Ron. There are many needs and many potential businesses available. However, before you invest a lot of time and energy and money in starting a new business, you need to ask yourself several key questions.

One, is the business idea practical and will it fill a need? And that’s a simple statement, but there’s a lot of importance to it. I surprise my clients from time to time when I say to them in a very real way I don’t care what you think about the fantastic business that you are aspiring to create. All I really care about is what the prospective clients or customers might think.

The old adage is that it doesn’t matter what the dog food looks like, what it smells like, how it’s packaged, how it’s priced. If the dogs won’t eat the dog food, you don’t have a good business. So you need to figure out whether the target market really has a need that you can fill better than the competition. That’s another key question. Can you outperform your competition?

In today’s world, you really need to have one or more competitive advantages in order to establish a very successful business. If you’re entering into a business that’s simply like everybody else and you don’t have competitive advantages in terms of products and prices and services, then arguably you’re going to have a tough time and could end up on the trash heap of also-rans. So a critical competitive advantage is another key question that you have to ask yourself.

And finally, can you make a profit? That’s to say, can you sell your products or services to enough people at a price that not only covers your overhead expense, that provides a fair wage for your management services to the business, and still leaves a profit in terms of return on investment for the risk capital that you’ve invested as an owner.

Ron Johnson: In business, there are no guarantees. You cannot eliminate the risks associated with starting a small business, but you can improve your chances of success with good planning, preparation, and insight. You can also improve your chances of success by understanding and avoiding some of the pitfalls or the problem areas encountered by others.
Lou, what are some of the problem areas encountered by entrepreneurs?

Lou Davenport: Inadequate planning is probably my number one. There is really no substitute for good planning and due diligence and the process of developing your business idea. If you put 100 existing small business entrepreneurs in a room and asked them what would you do differently if you had to do it all over again.

And I’ve done this – the first thing that they would all agree on is, that they would have developed and executed a comprehensive written business plan. And so, planning is absolutely essential to future business success.

I like to say to clients that the first plan that you ever create is not going to be the one that leads you to nirvana. It is not going to be the one that leads you to the Promised Land. It’s the second, third, fourth, fifth, fifteenth iteration of that plan, and, as you constantly work to revise the plan and bring it closer to reality and bring reality closer to the plan, then maybe that’s going to lead you to the Promised Land.

Another pitfall is lack of specific experience. Just because a particular business seems like it might be fun to operate, it doesn’t mean you have the necessary skills to be successful. And you really should work in a business similar to the one that you plan to start before actually starting it, and, of course, on the job training will give you a good foundation for that.

Again, a good example is if somebody comes to a bank and says I want to start a restaurant business, and I’ve been working in the business for 10 or 15 years, and I’ve done everything from being a waiter to a busboy to hostess with the mostest, to bartender and chef and managing the business for six months a year while the owner is in Florida, and now I’m ready to start and run my own business, then you’ve got the ingredients of specific experience that perhaps you need for success. But simply saying no, I don’t know anything about the restaurant business, but I’ve eaten in a lot of them doesn’t really cut it.

Thirdly, insufficient capital. Many businesses fail because they have not adequately planned and made preparations to have available funds to operate the business over an extended period of time. It’s not unusual at all for a startup business to lose money for the first one to two years, and so, in planning your capital resources, you not only have to look at how much money you may need to start the business, but how much money you’re going to need in addition to that to sustain the business over the first one to two years where you may be incurring operating losses until the business starts to turn a profit and produce a positive cash flow.

And there are other things, Ron, poor location. You certainly can’t underestimate the advantage of a good business location and the disadvantages of a poor one, especially for retail businesses. Location is not necessarily a critical issue for every business, but it often is in a retail-type business.

A couple of others are inadequate market understanding. It really is all about the customer. It’s important that you fully understand who your customers are and what they want in terms of product and services. And at the end, probably marginal customer service is a pitfall to avoid. Poor customer service can be a recipe for failure while incredible customer service can certainly be a ticket to success.

Ron Johnson: Okay, you’ve made a decision to become an entrepreneur. The next step is deciding whether to start from scratch or buy an existing business. Lou, what are some of the advantages and disadvantages to both approaches?

Lou Davenport: Starting a business from scratch, let’s look at that one first, Ron. One advantage is certainly that everything is new. There’s a sense of birth or new beginning in a business without a history or a predisposed image. It’s arguably easier to be more creative with a business in one that is being built up from scratch rather than one you purchase or inherit. But there are certainly disadvantages.

There is greater risk in starting a brand new business. It’s often much more difficult to raise money for a new business that doesn’t have any type of a proven track record. In terms of getting bank financing, if all you have is promise and expectations without any type of a proven track record, then the old adage is talk is cheap, and it’s arguably much harder to get financing for a business that doesn’t have a significant track record. And like anything else, it takes time to work out the bugs in a new business, and that’s why often startup businesses have some losses in the first one or two years until they reach that point of profitable success.

If you look at buying an existing business, there certainly are some advantages. It’s arguably easier to buy a turnkey business than it is to start something new. It’s also arguably easier to look at a franchise-type business opportunity because the franchise concept is that the business model is very, very well established, and all you have to do is come in and operate it the way the business model has been built. And so, that’s a type of existing business that you could look at.

Another advantage is that cash flow is going to be more immediately available in an existing business because you have established customers, you have existing inventory, and it may be easier to raise new capital for a business with a proven track record. And the customer goodwill of the preexisting customers is certainly a leg up in getting a good start in a business that you might be purchasing.

Ron Johnson: As part of your decision making process, you should also consider what equipment or supplies will you need, what insurance coverage will be needed, and how much money will it cost to start your business. Will you need financing or what are your resources and how will I compensate myself? To help answer these questions, remember to check out the Small Business Training Network at www.sba.gov/training. There you will find more than 25 free online training courses.

SBA also offers many resources to assist you with starting or growing a small business. These resources include more than 60 district offices with at least one office in every state, more than 10,000 SCORE counselors just like Lou who will provide free business counseling. You’ll find also over 1,000 small business development centers and more than 90 women business centers.

To learn more about SBA’s resources, contact our website at http://www.sba.gov/. I’d like to thank our guest, Lou Davenport, for sharing the valuable information on selecting a business that fits. And that’s it for another edition of SBA’s Small Business Training Network.

I’m Ron Johnson.
[end of interview]

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UNIT 1 - (READING 1) Saving Our Precious Earth

It is the responsibility of everyone, from industries to families and individuals, to save our precious earth through pollution prevention and conservation of natural resources---through reduce, reuse and recycle. Your actions today will decide the quality of tomorrow's world.

Everyone must join in to make a difference for all generations to come.

Air and water are life's most valuable resources, without them no living thing on earth can survive. Free the air and water from pollutants.

The two major pollutants are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Emissions of sulfur dioxide are mostly from fossil fuel (coal and oil), combustion in electric power production, and industrial processes (the primary metals, petroleum industry, chemical manufacturing, and mineral products). Emissions of nitrogen oxides are mostly from the transportation industry and fossil fuel (coal, oil and natural gas) combustion.

When water vapor and droplets in the air combine with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, they fall to the earth as acid rain (sulfates and nitrates).
Acid rain is harmful to aquatic life---fish populations and water plants---and the terrestrial ecosystem. It may damage or slow the growth of crops and forests. In addition, it may affect drinking water quality by causing the release of heavy metals from soil.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Help preserve our world for all generations to come.

Recycling (Paper, Plastic, Metal, and Glass)

Paper

Most paper can be recycled and made into new paper products, which helps save our forest---recycling one ton of newspapers conserves the equivalent of 19 pine trees. Recycled paper production reduces related air pollution by 95% and uses 30-55% less energy.

Plastic

The two most commonly recycled plastics are PETE or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high density polyethylene). Please refer to the Plastic Recycling Code for other recyclable plastics. Many plastic products like bottles and containers are marked with the recycling code these days to facilitate sorting by their particular resin type.
Five recycled 2-liter PET bottles make enough fiberfill to stuff a ski jacket, and 35 2-liter PET bottles make enough for a sleeping bag.

Metal

Metals are made from minerals that are non-renewable. A ton of steel cans recycled saves 1.36 tons of iron ore. Recycling saves 74% of the energy needed to make new steel from iron ore and 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum from bauxite ore.

Glass

Glass is one of the easiest and best materials to recycle. It recycles completely, meaning one kilogram of old glass can be turned into one kilogram of new glass, and it can be recycled repeatedly without loss of quality to the new product. A ton of glass recycled saves the equivalent of 34 liters of fuel oil. In addition, recycled glass requires 30% less energy than glass manufactured from silica.

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INFORMACION 1 A LOS ESTUDIANTES DEL CURSO INGLES VI

Les he puesto a su disposición una serie de ejercicios relacionados con lo impartido en clase durante esta semana:

• Parts of the English speech
• Spelling Definitions
• International Commerce Vocabulary List 1
• Worksheet Model

Confío que puedan hacer todo antes de nuestra próxima clase, de modo que les ayude a afianzar sus conocimientos. No olviden practicar la voz pasiva.

Mucho éxito,

Francisco J. Salinas B.

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Worksheet sample

MODELO DE PRUEBA ESCRITA


I. Vocabulary

Mark the word that doesn’t belong in each group.

EXAMPLE: a) plane b) train c) car d) airport e) truck

1 a) container b) freight c) shipment d) cargo e) luggage
1 a) profit b) loss c) revenues d) growth e) earnings
1 a) free market b) marketplace c) buy and sell d) marketing e) international trade (...)

II. Grammar

Complete this extract from a CEO’s speech about his company. Write the verb in the correct tense: present simple or present continuous.

‘As you know, our company (grow) ___________________________________ 21 rapidly at present. We are employing 10 percent more staff than we did last year, and we (recruit) ___________________________________ 22 more staff all the time. We also are producing 150 machines per month – that’s an increase of 15 percent since last year. We (develop) ___________________________________ 23 a new model of the Turbomaster at the moment, which we think will be a big success. We (know) ___________________________________ 24 our markets well. Our customers (like) ___________________________________ 25 our existing products, and we feel confident that they will like the improvements we have made in the new design. We (launch) ___________________________________ 26 the new model next May, in time for the Munich Trade Fair.’ (...)


III. Reading

Read the article and choose the best answer to each question.

Ten years ago a small boy fell off his bicycle because he wanted to look behind. This gave Billy Morgan, a British businessman, a new idea. He designed a bicycle helmet with a built-in mirror: the Reevu Vutech.

Mr. Morgan launched the product six months ago, and it now has sales of 27,000 and sells in twelve countries from South Korea to Finland. The target for the second year is for sales of nearly a1 million.

But it wasn’t easy for Mr. Morgan to become successful. He had problems when he tried to interest UK manufacturers in making the helmet. It cost Mr. Morgan a1 million of his own money to develop the helmet for the mass market (...)

31 This article is about …
a) a product launch that didn’t succeed.
b) a new idea that became a commercial success.
c) a manufacturing problem.

32 To develop the helmet for the mass market, Mr Morgan …
a) got help from a British manufacturing company.
b) got credit from a bank.
c) spent a1 million.

33 Mr. Morgan has an arrangement to manufacture the helmet …
a) in South Korea.
b) in France.
c) in England. (...)


IV. Writing

Replace the words and phrases in italics in the memo with the best word or phrase below.

Memo
To: Ramola Santos
From: Peter Stott
Subject: Prices

I would like to draw your attention to the attached price lists from two of our main competitors. As you can see, both have reduced their prices by about 3 to 4 per cent. I would like to suggest that we reduce ­­­­______________________________ 45 our prices by at least the same amount.

As you know, we face intense ______________________________ 46 competition in this market, and our revenue ______________________________ 47 from sales has fallen considerably ______________________________ 48 in the last year. It will not be easy to market ______________________________ 49 our products if they are seen as overpriced______________________________ 50. Could we have a meeting as soon as possible to discuss this?

45 a) fall b) cut c) make lower
46 a) unfair b) open c) tough
47 a) income b) cash c) deposit
48 a) plummeted b) soared c) leveled off
49 a) reposition b) develop c) try to sell
50 a) inexpensive b) too expensive c) affordable (...)


V. Listening

Nelson Ferreira works for an aircraft manufacturer. He is making a presentation to some people who are interested in buying aircraft. Read the first three questions. Then listen and mark your answers.

1 The part of the presentation which you hear is …
a) the introduction.
b) some basic facts that come before the main part.
c) the main part.
d) the conclusion.

2 The company is …
a) a state-owned company.
b) a family-owned company.
c) a multinational company.
d) a company which has shares traded on the stock exchange.

3 The customers are mainly interested in …
a) an executive jet plane.
b) military aircraft.
c) commercial aircraft.
d) aircraft in general. (...)

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