Interview with a loan officer

Form groups of two or three. One person (or two persons forming a partnership) wants to begin a business in clothing resale, but does not have enough capital.

Conduct an interview between the loan officer and the person (s) applying for the loan. The officer must become convinced that the resale clothing business is profitable. Consider the following points:

Business person (s). Explain that the business is to be a resale shop, not a thrift shop.

Know whether or not the store will handle designer clothing or furs in addition to regular clothing.

Know what the monthly costs will be, such as rent, merchandise, and salaries.

Have an idea how much money can be made monthly.

Know how much money you want to borrow.

 

Loan officer. Find out the exact nature of the business.

Find out how other resale shops in the nation are prospering.

Find out whether the business person will get the merchandise.

Find out how quickly the merchandise will sell so that the old merchandise will not remain in the store for several months.

Find out how large the market is for used clothing.

Find out how prices will be determined.

Find out if the business person will handle ordinary clothing, designer clothing, or furs.

Find out how quickly the loan can be repaid.

 

V. DISCUSSION

A) Discuss in pairs:

1. Do resale stores sound like good businesses to go into? Some of the more expensive garments like designer clothing must be reduced by as much as 75%. Can a profit be made? Also, isn’t old clothing more difficult to sell than new clothing?

2. Resale stores are a new development. Why have they been created? Is the reason related to the general strength or weakness of the economy and the rate of inflation?

B) Product and brand

Study the several ways by means of which you could choose a brand name:

• Initials (HBO)

• Numbers (Boeing 77)

• Invented name (Kleenex)

• Personal name (Ford)

• Mythological characters (Samsonite luggage)

• Geographical name (Northwest airlines)

• Foreign word (Lux, Nestle)

• Combination of words, initials, numbers (Head & Shoulders shampoo)

C) Now think of a brand you intend to develop. Discuss in pairs how you would name your brand and think of other examples.

VI. BUSINESS IDIOMS

Phrasal verbs

Match up the phrasal verbs on the left with the verbs that have a similar meaning on the right.

1. give up (production) a. accept

2. go along with (the decision) b. decrease, become fewer

3. kill off (a silly project) c. begin to be successful

4. come up with (a new idea) d. continue

5. do without (a pay rise) e. destroy or abandon

6. make room for (further expansion) f. find space to give

7. take off (after performing less well) g. get rid of, discard (because unwanted)

8. throw away (some good ideas) h. have, create ideas

9. weed out (uneconomic departments) i. make up, constitute a figure

10. carry on (in the same old way) j. perform, undertake or do

11. account for (rise in profits) k. produce, launch

12. carry out (a market survey) l. remove (from something larger)

13. ( production levels) drop off m. agree to stop or discontinue

14. look ahead to (future) n. survive or live while lacking

15. look for (a new solution) something

o. think about, prepare or plan the

16. bring out (a new product) future

p. try to find

 

VII.WRITING

Translate into English:

1. Dezvoltarea unei game largi de produse permite firmei să acopere о suprafaţă mare din piaţă şi să delimiteze mai clar principalele segmente de consumatori cărora se adresează.

2. Procesul de creaţie vizează şi ambalajul noului produs. Acesta trebuie să fie conceput astfel încât să-i asigure protecţia împotriva agentilor din mediul ambiant, păstrarea integrităţii formei şi conţinutului în timpul transportului, manipulării şi depozitării.

3. Produsele firmei 3M formeaza о gamă variată, de la dischete la lentile de contact, flacoane spray pentru aerosoli, echipament medical şi până la bilete adezive pentru birou.

4. Un sondaj efectuat recent arata că 40 % dintre cumpărători preferă produsele din gama Palmolive decît Farmec pentru că ambalajul este mai atractiv şipreţul mai scazut.

5. Achiziţionarea unui computer performant a devenit esentială pentru departamentul nostru acum, când numarul membrilor echipei a scăzut şi volumul de lucrări este în creştere.

6. Ca urmare a faptului că s-au înregistrat comenzi numeroase în ultima vreme, am hotărît să folosim noile coduri ale produselor pe care clienţii să le menţioneze pe formularul de comandă.