Modul Pengantar Bahasa Inggris Bisnis

UNIT 12
ABOUT HUMAN RESOURCE

Exercise 1. Read the following about the role of people in the

organization:
Jack Welch, former chief executive officer (CEO) of
General Electric (GE) demonstrated his regard for people and their
importance in the following statement (Welch, 2001, p. 156):
. . . GE’s all about finding and building great people . . . I’m over
the top on lots of issues, but none comes as close to the passion I
have for making people GE’s core competency.
No organisation, irrespective of its size, can exist without
people, and managers cannot be successful in isolation. As the
only active resource necessary to activate and convert the other
more passive resources into need-satisfying goods and services,
people are a prerequisite for the formation and continued existence
of any organisation. They contribute individually and collectively
to an organisation’s achievement of its strategic objectives and its
maintenance of a competitive advantage. Therefore, the challenge
for any organisation is to manage and engage with people in ways
that they can fulfil their maximum potential and thereby contribute
to a successful organisation.
It is accepted that competitive advantage does not lie in
products alone but in the people of the organisation and how they
are managed (ie the organisation’s HRM capability). No matter
how sophisticated a company’s technology or equipment, or how
healthy its financial status, people problems can be detrimental to
the success and survival of an organisation. Just think of what

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happens to a business when its employees go on a strike, or when
staff are not engaged and committed enough to perform well. The
business cannot function at full capacity, cannot produce quality
goods or provide a quality service to its customers, and may face
the possibility of having to close down.
The idea of intellectual capital is one way of
conceptualising the role of people in creating an organisation’s
competitive advantage. Intellectual capital can be broken down
into three elements, namely human capital, structural capital and
relational capital (Moon & Kym, 2006). Human capital is an
individual-level construct consisting of employee capability,
employee satisfaction and employee sustainability. Together, these
three elements describe the ability and motivation of an individual
to perform within an organisation in the longer term.
Structural capital refers to those formal organisational
arrangements that an organisation adopts to facilitate human and
relational capital. Structural capital includes the culture that is
created, organisational processes and information systems that are
put into place, and the management of intellectual property (which
includes patents or trademarks). Managers therefore need to ensure
that they successfully create, sustain and develop the
organisation’s intellectual capital. This requires managing each
employee, managing a host of relationships, and putting structures,
systems and procedures in place that facilitate and promote such
management.
Relational, or social capital refers to the capabilities that
arise in an organization through the network of relationships
between employees, customers and the community. It is therefore
concerned with fostering relationships among people within the
organisation, who will be able to interact effectively with parties
outside the organisation in a way that creates value for the
organisation and builds strong bonds with key stakeholders.
An organisation is clearly a social entity in which
managers need to work with and through other people to achieve
its goals. Managers therefore need to ensure that the people of an
organisation are engaged and committed to doing their best for the
organisation.
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Please, answer the following questions relate to the text above.

1) Can you mention, what kind of contributions of people do
to the organization’s value?
2) what kind of passive resource do you know which, need to
be activate by people?
3) what is human capital?
4) what is competitive advantage?
5) how does the organization build strong bonds with key
stakeholders?

Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with the

words on this chart:

middle managers over-worked white-collar hired

recruitment burned-out blue-collar fired line-managers
lay-off shop-floor fat outplacement probation workforce
lean
1) A ……………. or front-line managers supervise the
workers that produce a company's product(s) .
2) ………………… are literally in the middle - between the
executive staff and the front-line managers.
3) Human resources departments are usually responsible for
the ………………. of new employees.
4) Once found and given a job, or ……………., these new
employees are usually scheduled for training.
5) …………………is a period of time after a person is first
hired when they are expected to learn and operate at
specified skill levels, and to learn the policies and
procedures of their new employer.
6) New employees who perform poorly are sometimes
…………….., or terminated, after a probationary period.

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 7) Workers in a factory or industrial-type setting are often
called ……………. workers.
8) In a factory setting, most employees will work on
the……………., where products are produced.
9) Office workers are typically called ……………. workers.
10) When economies and companies are struggling everyone
is expected to work longer hours to ensure the success of
their enterprise. During those times, many people are
………….., and can grow very tired or even have health
problems.
11) People who have over-worked and have grown quite tired
of their work and company, often say they are ……………
12) If a company continues to have problems and is loosing a
lot of money, they may need to ………….. employees and
send them home without pay.
13) Executives and higher level white-collar workers, when
laid off, are sometimes scheduled for ……… , meaning
that they are helped with finding a new job elsewhere.
14) Lay offs and outplacement are more likely to happen after
a company has grown …………… with good profits and
has hired too many people.
15) The goal of lay-offs and outplacement is to help the
company get ………………. and remove fat so they can
become competitive again.
16) All of the employees of a company, when considered
together as a group, are often call the company's ……..

Exercise 3. Read the following text about Working hours and

make your own sentence with the working hours phrases:
to work overtime = to do more than the usual hours required by
the contract. example:
We aren't paid when we work overtime, we can take time
off in lieu.
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We had to work overtime to get the project finished on

time.
your sentence: ….
to work shifts = to work in teams at different times of the day and
night. Examples:
In today's twenty-four hour society, more and more people
work shifts.
We get paid more when we work shifts to compensate for
the irregular times.
your sentence: …..
shift work = when groups of workers work at different times of
the day and night. Examples:
The irregular rhythm of shift work can be very hard on
family life.
Production keeps going non-stop so we have a lot of
people who do shift work.
your sentence: …..
to be on the night shift = to work with a group during the night,
often from ten pm to six am. Examples:
It's very hard on the night shift because I can't sleep very
well during the day.
Some people prefer to be on the night shift because they
are at home when the children come home from school.
your sentence: ……
flexitime = a system where people can vary the start and end times
As we work flexitime, I take the children to school and
arrive at nine thirty.
With flexitime, as long as I have done my seven hours, I
can leave at four thirty.
your sentence: ……..

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a roster = a list of who's working when and where
The weekly roster is put up on the board so that you can
see who is working.
Look on the roster to see what job you are doing.
your sentence:
to have time off = to take vacation or leave
I'd like to have some time off next month. I need a break.
If you want to have time off, you have to fill out a request
form and give it to your line manager.
your sentence: ……
to take a day off = to have an authorised absence from work for a
day.
I had two days off last week so I have a lot of work to
catch up on.
I'd like a day off next week to deal with some family
matters. Friday if that is convenient.
your sentence: ……..
full-time = work a whole working week
At the moment I only work two days a week but I would
like to work full-time.
After the birth of my son, I didn't want to go back full-time
so do three days a week now.
your sentence: ………
part-time = to work a part of the day or week
When I was a student, I had a part-time job in a bar.
We are looking for a part-time receptionist to work
mornings.
your sentence: ……….
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to be punctual = to start or arrive at the specified time

She's very punctual, always here on time.
Please be punctual. I don’t want to have to wait for late
arrivals.
your sentence: ………
home working = to work from home rather than going into the
office
Home working misses the social element of going to work.
Modern technology means that home working has become
a real possibility for many people.
your sentence: ………
time sheet = a record of the numbers of hours worked by an
employee.
Fill out this time sheet every day and hand it to your
manager on Fridays.
We no longer have time sheets as this is done
automatically by the electronic ID badges.
your sentence: ……….
unsocial hours = hours outside of the normal working week
Although the hours are rather unsocial, I don’t want a nine
to five job.
Lots of professions work very unsocial hours and don't
necessarily get compensated for it.
your sentence: ……….
to take a break = to stop work for a short time to relax.
You can buy tea or coffee when you take a break.
Sometimes it's a good idea to take a break and come back
to a job refreshed.
your sentence: ………...

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to clock in/out = to record the start or finish time of work on a
special machine.
The staff clock in when they arrive and clock out as they
leave.
Flexitime means that everyone has to clock in and out to
keep a check on the hours worked.
your sentence: ……….
public holidays = national holidays that are not generally worked.
Your holiday entitlement does not include public holidays
like Christmas Day.
If a public holiday is on a Thursday, many people take the
Friday off and have a long weekend.
your sentence: ………..
hourly rate = the salary that is paid per hour of work.
We are paid a considerably higher hourly rate for Sundays
or evening work.
The part-time employees are paid an hourly rate but the
permanent staff are paid a fixed salary.
fixed hours = the working hours of an employee do not change or
cannot be varied.
The admin staff work fixed hours; nine to five, five days a
week.
As a freelancer, I don't have any fixed hours but work
when the work is there.
your sentence: ………..

Exercise 4. Human Resource Vocabulary- Problems and

Recommendations Giving and responding to advice practice:
Choose problems from below and take turns asking for the other
person’s advice, responding positively or negatively each time
 Modul Pengantar Bahasa Inggris Bisnis

depending on what you think about their advice. Discuss that

situation as long as you like, then switch roles and do the same.
Useful language for asking for advice
• What do you think I should do?
• What’s the best solution?
• What would you do (if you were in my place)?
• What do you recommend?
• Can you suggest anything?
• What can I do about it (do you reckon)?
• How can I solve this problem?
• What’s your advice?
• Do you have any ideas?
Useful language for giving advice/ suggestions/ recommendations
Strong suggestions
• You’d better… (or…)
• You really must…
• You must…/ You have to…
• If I were you, I would definitely…
• I strongly recommend…
Weaker suggestions
• You should probably…
• Have you thought about…?
• Have you considered…?
• It’s worth thinking about…
Weak suggestions
• You could (possibly)…

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 • It might be worth thinking about…
Useful language for responding to advice Positive responses.
• That’s a great idea. I’ll do exactly what you said.
• Good idea. I’ll definitely do that. Thanks for your advice.
Weak and negative responses
• That seems like a good idea. I’ll give it a try.
• That might work. I’ll consider it.
• Actually, … already. Do you have any other ideas?
• I’m not sure that would work (in this case) (because…)
Can you suggest anything else?
• Hmmm. Are you sure that’s a good idea

Exercise 5. Positive and negative HR vocabulary. Are the

following words positive or negative? Write “+” or “-” next to
each one:
turn over absenteeism
sick days padding
discrimination glass ceiling
efficient entertainment
expenses lack
quality relevant
skills stress
overworked short-staffed

Exercise 6. Digital marketing vocabularies. Match the sentence

halves 1-8 t o a - f:
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1 the space on a Web page available for a buzzword

advertisements.
2 a contextual advertisement service b Above the fold
provided by Google.
3 the publisher/salesperson in an c B2B
affiliate marketing relationship.
4 the section of a Web page that is d bandwidth
visible without scrolling.
5 business that sells products or c blog
provides services to other businesses.
6 how much data can be transmitted in a d AdSense.
time period over a communications
channel, often expressed in kilobits
per second (kbps).
7 A frequent, chronological publication e Ad. space
of personal thoughts and Web links.
8 a trendy word or phrase that is used F affiliate
more to impress than explain.

Exercise 7. Word formation. complete the table.

Verbs Nouns
Promote
Publicise
Launch
License
Feedback
Diffrentiate
Position

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 Campaign

Exercise 8. Complete these sentences with the correct

marketing vocabulary.
1) I've tried lots of other………of shampoo, but this one's
still my favourite..
2) Most………don't care where the products they buy come
from..
3) We now spend far more on………….marketing than on
traditional marketing..
4) We only launch new products if our market……….. shows
high consumer demand..
5) Our……….sales are increasing now that more people are
shopping online.

Exercise 9. If you want to sell a product, it is important to

present it as positively as possible. The list below contains
words which are commonly used in advertising to present
products. Can you use them to complete the sentences below,
changing the verb forms where necessary?.
tried and tested to boast dependable top of the range
latest design advanced inexpensive value for money
unbeatable superior long-lasting unbreakable
easy-to-use much-vaunted rock bottom
unique
1) The frame of this bicycle is titanium-enforced, making it
virtually _______________.
2) We are proud to present the _________________ new
edition of our estate car - here it is!
3) This product has been _____________________ by
generations of satisfied customers.
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4) It might not look all that exciting, but it's certainly the
most ____________________ product in its price range, it
will simply never fail you!
5) We are proud to offer the best _____________________
in the whole area.
6) This notebook uses the most _________________
processor technology available to date.
7) This is a _______________________ computer - you
won't find anything better on the market at present.
8) We believe that our product is _______________ to all its
competitors at present.
9) As well as air-conditioning, this model
________________ super-speed heating.
10) This is the __________________. You'll not find it
anywhere else yet, we are the first to produce it, straight
from the Milan Fashion Show.
11) This is an _______________ version of its brand
counterpart, but I can assure you it's just as good, if not
better!
12) The step-by step guide makes this product the most
_____________ you'll have ever had!
13) We believe our prices to be ________________ - if you
find the same product cheaper anywhere else, we'll refund
the difference!
14) This product is ________________ - you'll not find
anything else like it on the market!
15) The latest technology at _______________ prices - that's
our philosophy!
16) This dye is the most _________________ on the market -
aAit will simply never wash out!

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Exercise 10. Create product presentation using powerpoint to
promote about this product.

you may find additional information about the product online.

Source of References
1. https://eslflow.com/describingproductsandservices.html
2. https://www.english4it.com/.
3. MacKenzie Ian. English for Business Studies. Cambridge
University Press. 1997.
4. MacKenzie Ian. Financial English with Mini-dictionary of
Finance. Language. Teaching Publication Series, 1995.
5. MacKenzie Ian. Management and Marketing. Language
Teaching Publications, 1997.
6. Mascull Bill. Business Vocabulary in Use, Advanced.
Cambridge University Press, 2004.
7. Mascull Bill. Business Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge
University Press, 2002.
8. Miller Roger LeRoy. Economics Today and Tomorrow.
Glencoe Division of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School
Publishing Company, 1995.
9. Misztal Mariusz. Tests in English Thematic Vocabulary.
Intermediate and Advanced Level. Киев: «Знания», 1999.
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10. Naterop B. Jean, revel Rod. Telephoning in English. Third

Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2004.

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