AUDIO SCRIPTS
171
LESSON 8.1 RECORDING 8.1
I = Interviewer, A = Allan Smith
I:
Tonight, we’re focusing on starting your
own business. I have with me Allan Smith,
an accountant and business adviser. Good
evening, Allan – thanks for joining us.
A:
Good evening, John – it’s a pleasure.
I:
Allan, could I start by asking you to give us
the most important tips for someone setting
up a business?
A:
Certainly. First of all, I’d say you must
understand you’ll never know everything
there is to know about running a business
– it’s as simple as that. So, you’ll need help
in certain areas – maybe with finances and
tax, or perhaps with selling and marketing.
Once you know the areas where you need
help, you can train yourself, or bring in an
employee who has the skill you need.
Another way is to get advice from an expert
or a friend who has their own business. OK?
I:
Right, very useful. Anything else?
A:
Yes, my second tip is all about marketing.
You need to be sure that your product will
sell in sufficient numbers, at a price that
covers your costs. In other words, it must
give you a return on your money; it’s got to
make a profit. To do this you must be clear
about how you price your product – for
example, are you going to price it above,
the same as or below your competitors?
Then, you must also think about how you’ll
promote it. I mean, how are you going to let
people know about the product, so that they
become aware of it? That’s important. And,
you know, you may have to market it in a
different way to different people. That could
be the key to success.
I:
OK, so good marketing is essential when
you start your own business.
A:
Exactly.
LESSON 8.1 RECORDING 8.2
I:
You spent many years, Allan, working in
accountancy firms with businesses that
failed, that went bankrupt. Why did most of
them fail?
A:
Erm … I think there were three reasons really.
Firstly, some failed because the market had
moved on and the business was left behind.
It was using old equipment that just wasn’t
up to date, wasn’t efficient – the printing
trade is a good example of that. Another
reason was that some of them depended
too much on one main customer, and then
if the customer decides they don’t need you
any more … And the third reason, well … it
could be a number of things, poor planning,
cash flow problems, bad debts, erm … not
dealing with tax properly, that sort of thing
– just not managing the business properly.
LESSON 8.1 RECORDING 8.3
I:
A final question – what do you think about
business plans?
A:
Oh, they’re vital. You should think of them
as a map which’ll take you from today to
how the business will be in a few years’
time. The business plan will set out your
objectives, how you are going to get there,
to achieve them and how you’re going to
measure your progress. Too many people
say their plan is in their head, but when that
happens, they often can’t deal with
unexpected things, like, erm … sales that
are lower than they hoped, or rising costs.
You should get your forecasts down in writing.
Check how you’re getting on and use your
plan to help you succeed in the business. Oh,
yes, one other thing – don’t expect to get the
forecasts right straight away. You’ll improve
later when you have more experience.
I:
Thanks very much, Allan. Some good advice
there for people starting up a business.
LESSON 8.1 RECORDING 8.4
A:
I think a car washing business is a good
idea. We’ll need to research the market a bit
first. Maybe the supermarkets will allow us
to wash customers’ cars in the car park.
B:
Yes, good idea.
A:
Also, how about contacting a local taxi
firm? They have a lot of cars which always
seem to be dirty. There could be a cleaning
service for the inside of the cars as well. We
wouldn’t need much equipment, but we
should have a good name – how about
something like KarKlean, with a K – you
know, K-A-R K-L-E-A-N?
B:
Yeah, good idea. We could give people a
discount to start with and print a few leaflets
to advertise the business.
A:
Yes, I don’t think it’d cost much to set up
the business and we could make quite a lot
of money.
LESSON 8.4 RECORDING 8.6
D = Dana, B = Bobby
D:
Could I speak to Bobby, please?
B:
Yes, speaking. How can I help you?
D:
Hi Bobby, it’s Dana from Manama in
Bahrain here.
B:
Hi Dana. How are things?
D:
Fine. Did you get my email?
B:
Yes, I did, but I’ve been really busy – sorry I
haven’t replied. You want to order some
sunglasses from us.
D:
Well, yes … maybe. Thanks for the samples
you sent us, Bobby, they certainly look
good.
B:
They sure are Dana, they’re selling really
well. OK, how many would you like to
order?
D:
Mmm, well, we’re thinking of placing quite
a large order, about 50,000, at the price you
gave us in the email.
B:
Great!
D:
Yeah, but it’s really important that you can
deliver to us in August.
B:
Oh, I’m afraid that would be a bit difficult,
Dana, we’ve already still got quite a few
summer orders to deal with. Maybe in
September – that should be OK.
D:
What about if we pay earlier? Will you be
able to deliver in August?
B:
Dana, let me check if I understand you, do
you mean payment on delivery, in August?
Well, that would be good …
D:
No, we couldn’t pay that soon. I was
thinking of paying after 60 days. How do
you feel about that?
B:
Sorry Dana, I don’t think we can wait that
long. How about 30?
D:
I’m not sure about that. OK, Bobby, look …
I’ll think it over and maybe get back to you.
B:
That sounds fine. Well … I hope to hear
from you soon.
D:
Right, Bobby, thanks a lot. Bye for now.
B:
Bye.
LESSON 9.1 RECORDING 9.1
I = Interviewer, L = Lindsey Barone
I:
For our next guest on
A Woman’s World
, I’d
like to welcome to the programme Lindsey
Barone, head of engineering at Swift
Aerospace – a very good example of a
woman in a man’s world.
L:
Good morning everyone.
I:
Lindsey, you’re an engineer, but why did
you become one? What got you interested?
L:
Well, from a young age I was always
interested in how things work. I chose
engineering as a career because I wanted to
make things better. Engineering isn’t just
about testing theories and building models.
It’s about designing new products and
finding new uses for old products. I suppose
at its most basic it’s about how to solve
problems. It’s great when you make a
breakthrough and improve the way the
world works!
I:
Mmm, interesting. And could you tell me a
bit about your training?
L:
Well, I studied engineering at university.
I was the only woman in the mechanical
engineering department!
I:
So, how was that?
L:
Well, at first I felt a bit uncomfortable, but
after a while it didn’t bother me. People got
used to me and I was treated like anyone
else. In fact sometimes it was a bit of an
advantage because people liked to have me
in their team!
I:
You’re head of engineering now. How did
you get to where you are today?
L:
Well, I started in a test lab for aeroplanes.
I did stress and safety tests there. Basically,
I broke things! Doing that sort of research is
very important as it tells you what loads the
structures can carry. Then I went into
aeroplane design. I worked on all areas of
commercial planes before moving into
project management in the aircraft industry.
I:
Now you’re head of department and I guess
in charge of a lot of men. How do you find
that?
L:
Well, it wasn’t too easy at first. I had to prove
myself. It’s true, it’s a very male environment.
When they could see that I had good
practical experience and ability and could
meet my deadlines, everything was fine.
I:
I suppose that’s true of anyone who’s in
charge. OK, Lindsey, finally – what’s the best
thing about being an engineer?
L:
Oh, that’s an easy one to answer. I love the
challenge of finding solutions to problems.
I hope that what I do improves people’s
lives. For me, engineering is fun, exciting
and satisfying. We really need more women
coming into the profession!
I:
Thanks very much, Lindsey. Now, our next
guest is someone who …
LESSON 9.3 RECORDING 9.2
1
He’s an engineer.
2
I work for a big bank.
3
She’s the Chief Executive.
4
Rachel’s the head of department.
5
She goes to the University of Oxford.
LESSON 9.4 RECORDING 9.3
Some exciting news now from the Minister
of the Environment, Susan Lau, which should
please all the engineers in our country.
