There are 14 Case Studies in this business course. We've completed Case Study 1 and Case Study 2, and today we will finish Case Study 3. Today we’re going to visit HP’s Information Systems Group and talk about data collection. Let’s get started with today’s lesson. We’re going to interview Susan. You met Susan in Program 8, her title is Manager of the Manufacturing Information System Group. We’ll take turns. I’ll talk to her first. Here we go….
Today's topics:
- Data Collection
Data Collection (1)
Practice again this conversation by taking over the role of Susan.
Data Collection (2)
HOST: Now…. It’s your turn. You do the interviewing. Don’t hesitate - speak right away. Remember - you have to start the conversation. Are you ready?
Listen as the host interviews Susan.
HOST: How did you do? I hope you didn’t have too much trouble speaking at the right time. One of the most important things about this course, American Business English, is that the people you see are not professional actors. They’re real business people, doing their jobs and talking about the things they do. This is natural English: the people you see are speaking naturally - they’re not using scripts. Let’s talk to Susan again now. We’ll take turns again. I’ll talk to her first, and the it’ll be your turn. Are you ready? Here we go….
YOU: Do you handle employee data?
YOU: But you do use computers….
YOU: Large computers? Lots of data?
YOU: So, you have a lot of automated manufacturing?
YOU: But you do use computers….
YOU: Large computers? Lots of data?
YOU: So, you have a lot of automated manufacturing?
YOU: Hi, Susan.
YOU: How are you?
YOU: Tell me about your job.
YOU: What kind of data do you collect?
YOU: How many employees in the group?
YOU: How are you?
YOU: Tell me about your job.
YOU: What kind of data do you collect?
YOU: How many employees in the group?
HOST: Chris, what advice do you have for people learning business English?
CHRIS: I think I’d tell them “Be patient and don’t get frustrated” because, you know, there’s a lot of… a lot of jargon that’s different from just textbook English, and it even takes somebody that speaks English as a first language quite a long time to pick up on all the company jargon. And for me… for me, it took, probably, a year or two before I was really pretty comfortable with… with all that jargon.
HOST: What are some of those terms?
CHRIS: Oh…. Well, YHP was one you just used. The name on that report’s called the “YHP DOA Report.” DOA stands for “Defective On Arrival,” so, if… if you were new in a company and said “Tell me about the YHP DOA information,” you know, how in the world’s anybody going to know what that means just from those initials? It just takes time to pick all that up.
CHRIS: I think I’d tell them “Be patient and don’t get frustrated” because, you know, there’s a lot of… a lot of jargon that’s different from just textbook English, and it even takes somebody that speaks English as a first language quite a long time to pick up on all the company jargon. And for me… for me, it took, probably, a year or two before I was really pretty comfortable with… with all that jargon.
HOST: What are some of those terms?
CHRIS: Oh…. Well, YHP was one you just used. The name on that report’s called the “YHP DOA Report.” DOA stands for “Defective On Arrival,” so, if… if you were new in a company and said “Tell me about the YHP DOA information,” you know, how in the world’s anybody going to know what that means just from those initials? It just takes time to pick all that up.
HOST: Today we’re completing Case Study 3, so this is our last visit to HP. Let’s look back over some key sentences and phrases we’ve studied. Here are a few highlights from Case Study 3…
HOST: Now it’s your turn. You do the interviewing. Unfortunately Susan is pre-recorded - not live in person. She can’t wait for you to speak. You have to speak right away. Are you ready? Remember - you have to start the conversation.
HOST: Did you do all right? That’s good practice, isn’t it? Before we end our visit to HP, let’s see if Chris Smith has some advice for language learners.
CHRIS: Well, I think I can guess what this is about.
MIKE: I’ll bet you can. I’ve got some good news, and I’ve got some bad news.
MIKE: I’ll bet you can. I’ve got some good news, and I’ve got some bad news.
CHRIS: Now if you look at…. If you look at business-cycle graphs, for example, over a long period of time, you can see the electronics industry is a very cyclical industry anyway. And what we seem to be in right now is a particularly long and deep down-cycle.
LEAH: The idea that came to us was to use a robot to do the delivery of the mail. That way Dalene will only have to sort the mail and post the mail, and the delivery would be done, basically, without a person.
CHRIS: So, it’s a productivity improvement deal?
LEAH: Definitely.
CHRIS: So, it’s a productivity improvement deal?
LEAH: Definitely.
LEAH: Well, one of the systems we implemented within the last couple of years is something we call “HP Desk,” and that’s an electronic mail system. We felt like that we could get a lot of benefits from having a “paperless environment” in terms of the memos that are sent out.
SUSAN: The charges cost us about a thousand dollars a month, and he wants to know if it’s possible to use a dial-up modem instead.
LEAH: Well, we established the personal computer strategies. We defined the standard hardware and software recommendations….
HOST: In our next program, we’ll move on to Case Study 4, and we’ll meet Bill Whitaker, a manager in an international banking firm. Join us for Program 11 in this series, won’t you? Until next time, then, goodbye. And have a nice day!
