"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes"
Marcel Proust
International trade
Read the extract from an article about outsourcing. For each question 1-5, mark
ONE letter A, B, C or D.
The benefits of outsourcing
Outsourcing means contracting out certain functions to outside specialists. The
great advantage of it is that it …………….. (1) companies to avoid unnecessary fixed
costs and concentrate on growing their business.
Almost anything can be outsourced. Some functions are …………….. (2) processes
with easily defined outputs, such as payroll processing and office cleaning. Some
require …………….. (3) on skills or equipment which a medium-sized company could
not afford: IT (requiring skilled staff and technology), call centres (providing
round-the-clock availability) and accountancy (requiring professional skills and
knowledge of changing regulations) are …………….. (4) of this.
Sometimes outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable ones and improves speed
to market. Sometimes it takes the hard work out of otherwise high-value business. The only activities that should not be outsourced are those which are absolutely
…………….. (5) to the business.
1 A facilitates B grants C eases D allows
2 A staple B average C customary D standard
3 A outlay B budgets C investment D overheads
4 A samples B instances C representatives D occurrences
5 A prime B principal C core D focal
Text from:
Whitehead, R. and Harrison, M. 2006. Achieve Bulats. English for International
Business. Heinle Cengage Learning.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE VOCABULARY: You should try to include some of these expressions in your vocabulary
Affluence
Keep to targets
Cut costs
Meet targets
A gap in the market
Move upmarket
Global ambitions
Undercut the competition
Go into a whole new area
Spread risks
Wage a price war
Go global
Now, increase your knowledge and vocabulary on international trade by watching
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