AUDIO SCRIPTS
178
P:
I see, but let me ask you …
CEO:
Or to put it another way, businesses come
and go. The world changes. Nothing lasts
for ever.
P:
OK, but don’t you think that some people
might think that’s a rather arrogant thing
to say when you consider the impact
on people’s lives. If you don’t mind, I’d
like to move on now to your staff. There
have been criticisms of the fact that as a
company you pay low wages, and also
there are accusations that some of your
clothing suppliers may use child labour
and sweatshops.
CEO:
Right, well, I can’t comment on our
suppliers, but what I can tell you is that in
many markets our workers are paid over
the minimum wage and as a company we
do a lot for charity.
P:
Could you explain that in more detail,
please? What do you actually do for charity?
CEO:
Certainly. I can tell you that Smithsons
gives about 2.5 percent of its profits to
local community projects.
P:
Could you be more specific? Because many
people have claimed they haven’t seen the
results of these community projects.
CEO:
Yes, well, er, for example, if we build a new
store, we, er, also, er, set aside money for
a community centre or park. People like
Smithsons, Louise. We do a lot for people.
P:
Yes, but what about the negative impact
of Smithsons?
CEO:
Sorry, I don’t follow you.
P:
OK. Let me rephrase that. What I’m talking
about is economic and social damage
which big multinational companies like
yours can do around the world.
CEO:
Could you give me an example?
P:
Yes, the fact that as a company you are
anti union. You don’t let employees join
workers’ organisations.
CEO:
Yes, that’s true. We don’t think that
unions are a good idea for staff or the
company as a whole.
P:
But why not? What I mean is … what are
you worried about?
CEO:
I don’t think we’re worried at all. I’m sorry, I
don’t see what you mean by all this damage
you talk about. I see only benefits. Perhaps
in some ways we are victims of our own
success. We are almost too successful, but
that’s down to our customers. Statistics
show that in the markets we have entered
recently it is actually the poorest sections
of society who benefit most. To be more
precise … we really appeal to everyone and
alienate no one.
P:
Right. Another question for you now …
LESSON 9.1 RECORDING 9.1
1
Well, I’m a big fan of contemporary art – you
know, really up-to-date things. I like video art
– the stuff many people think is a bit crazy. I’m
really into that sort of thing. I think some of it …
some of it is really stylish, but you wouldn’t, or
couldn’t have it in your home. I suppose I like
art which is controversial. I also like the idea of
mixing artistic styles and types of art together. A
friend of mine took me to a great performance
art exhibition which I loved. With the music,
lights and the movement it was so impressive
– out of this world. It was a bit like dance in
some parts. I also enjoy sculpture, but really
weird stuff made from strange materials. I know
it’s not for everyone, but I really like it.
2
It’s much more traditional art which I like,
big museums and galleries. I like classical
art, I suppose, you know, landscapes and
portraits – the typical masterpieces. But
recently I’ve got very interested in Asian art. I
saw this exhibition of Chinese art which was
incredible. It was so beautiful. It really took
my breath away. I’d seen a lot of stuff in books
and then I saw a TV documentary about the
exhibition. It really lived up to my expectations
when I saw it. The reality was even better than
I hoped. Some of the pottery was amazing,
especially when you think how old it is. The
whole exhibition inspired me to find out more
about art from around the world.
3
I like modern art, and particularly abstract
art. At the moment, I also really like Pop
Art – all that stuff from the 60’s which was
inspired by advertising and comic books. I
went to see a great exhibition last month.
It was a bit expensive, and I had to queue
to get in, but it was worth the effort and the
cost. I suppose I’m lucky being in London,
as we seem to get a lot of high profile
exhibitions and retrospectives. This was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s funny,
but I wasn’t interested in art at all when
I was younger. It’s something which I’ve
become fascinated by during the last couple
of years. I’m thinking of joining one of the
big museums as a member, as then you get
invited to previews, and it’s a lot cheaper.
I remember going on a school trip to Paris
once to see the masterpieces in the big
museums, but I found that classical art rather
dead and disappointing, and the galleries
were just too crowded and full of people
taking photos, rather than looking at the art!
LESSON 9.4 RECORDING 9.2
V = Vanessa, R = Russell, D = Dennis
R:
One of the things we’re considering, Dennis,
is to lower our commission. At the moment,
we charge 50%, that’s confidential by the
way. But if we lowered the commission,
we’d attract quite a few younger artists and
that could be helpful for us.
D:
Maybe, but consider the implications. At the
moment, your artists are paying 50% and not
complaining, they’re accepting your terms
of sale. If you lower your commission, other
galleries might start doing the same thing,
then you’ll be in a price war. How do you
feel about lowering commissions, Vanessa?
V:
Well, I think there’s a strong argument for
doing it. We do need to have more young
artists on our books, I’ve said it for some
time. It’d be a way of attracting them. It’d be
quick and very effective.
D:
But think of the consequences, Vanessa.
It’ll affect your profits if you lower your
commission rate. Also, you need to take
into account the reactions of the other
gallery owners. They won’t be pleased if
they hear you’re price-cutting. They’ll start
doing the same thing and that won’t be in
anyone’s interests.
V:
That may be true, but our situation’s getting
pretty desperate. We’ve got to do something
if we want to survive.
D:
Well, the effect of a lower commission rate will
be harmful to your business, in my opinion.
R:
I’ve had a few thoughts about this, Dennis.
You say that it’ll affect our profits. But it
wouldn’t if we charged variable commission
rates, I mean, charge different rates to
different artists. Keep the rates we’ve got for
artists who are popular with collectors and
people who pay top prices, but give up-and-
coming artists a lower rate. How about that?
D:
The problem with that is it could really upset
your best customers, the cash cows, if I can put
it like that, who are keeping your gallery afloat.
R:
Mmm, I don’t know, maybe you’re right.
OK, well then, what are we going to do if
we don’t lower our commission?
D:
You’ve got a lot of options, believe me.
There are plenty of things you could do
that’ll get more people coming to your
gallery and improve your bottom line. You
can’t do all of them. Some, I’m sure, you’ll
reject immediately. You’ll have to make
up your minds and choose the best ones.
Some will be expensive, others won’t cost
too much. I’ve jotted down some ideas for
you. Let’s talk about them. I hope you’ll feel
some are worth considering.
LESSON 9.5 RECORDING 9.3
If you go on a fairly long holiday, maybe
to a faraway destination, I think it’s a really
good idea to write a travel blog. You see, one
advantage of doing it is you can create a social
environment with your blog. What do I mean
by that? Well, you’ll create a group of people
who are interested in what you’re doing. Your
family and your friends can read your diary
entries and respond to them, so they become
part of your holiday. With your blog, you
can keep in touch with a much bigger group
of people, you won’t need to buy dozens of
postcards to let them know what you’re doing.
So you’ll save money, that’s always a good
thing, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Blogs are a great way of telling your family
and friends about your holiday and how
it’s going, you know, the interesting places
you’re visiting, the people you’re meeting.
And everyone who’s following you will
know you’re safe because they’re constantly
reading your messages. They’ll also be able
to look at your photos and videos. Oh, one
other advantage I want to mention, your
travel blog is a permanent record of your
trip – something you can look at again
when you’re back home.
So, I’m encouraging you all to write a travel
blog – it’s good practice for improving your
writing – and you can tell everyone about the
amazing experiences you’re having and maybe
even about things that have gone wrong,
especially if they’re funny and not too serious.
LESSON 10.1 RECORDING 10.1
Ambitious - ambition
Authoritative - authority
Conscientious - conscientiousness
creative – creativity
diplomatic – diplomacy
energetic – energy
knowledgeable – knowledge
objective – objectivity
practical – practicality
resourceful – resourcefulness
LESSON 10.1 RECORDING 10.2
Good morning, everyone. Our topic today is group
dynamics. I want to talk about how groups develop
over a period of time. So I’ll describe the stages
that groups often go through.
Erm, first of all, I’d like to mention an academic
who did some interesting early work on
groups. His name’s Kurt Lewin, you spell Kurt,
