UNIT 5

BUSINESS TRAV E L ( part 2)

Pre-reading

 

1. Read and translate the following international words:

 

percentage

future

consultant

cent

industry

consulting

produce

analysis

director

product

combine

aviation

constant

major

marketing

favor

rental

reservation

sum

economist

comfort

factor

passenger

management

2. Read and translate the following groups of words derived from a common root:

1)      compare — comparison — comparative — comparatively — comparable — incomparable;

2)      corporate — corporation — corporative — incorporate — corpo­ratism—corporator;

3)      economic — economical — economically — economics —- econ­omy — economize — economist;

4) fayor — favorite — favorable — favoritism — unfavorable

5)      industry — industrial — industrially — industrialize — industrial­ized—industrious;

6)      manage — manager — manageress — managerial — management — manageable;

7)      please — pleasing — pleased — unpleased — displeased — pleas­ant — unpleasant — pleasure — displeasure — pleasurable;

8)      real — really — reality — unreal — unreality — realize — realiz­able — realist — realistic — unrealistic — unrealistically.

Reading

3. Read the text and translate it. While reading the text try and find answers to these questions:

1.      What is Ed. Callaghan's position at American Express?

2.      What is supposed to be an office away from office for business travelers?

3.      How can hotels please their business travelers?

4.      How much money do American companies lose each year due to deviations from corporate policy?

 

BUSINESS TRAVEL (part 2)

(continued)

Business travel, which has long been the mainstay of airlines and hotels, will likely gradually decline as a percentage of all travel, which includes leisure travel. Leisure travel is forecast to increase due to a favorable economic climate, which in turn produces increased discretionary
income. Many people now have more leisure time and higher levels of education, and the cost of travel has remained constant, or dropped, compared to inflation and other costs combined. These factors indicate a bright future for the travel industry.

An analysis of business travel costs by the Wall Street Journal tracks
travel prices with the weekly Dow Jones Travel Index, which looks at average business and leisure fares on twenty major routes, as well as the cost of hotel rooms and car rentals. An annual increase in travel costs of four percent is significant for a group who spends upwards of $130 billion a year on travel. Bob Litchman, head of corporate travel at Bay Networks in Santa Clara, California, says a four percent increase would add $600,000 to his domestic travel budget. Business travelers pay most of the increases, economists say, because they are the passengers who really contribute to an airline's earnings. The major domestic airlines receive thirty-three cents per passenger per mile for full-fare tickets — more than twice what they get for discounted tickets. In other words, airlines sometimes lose money on their leisure travelers and make money with their business travelers.

An increasing number of business travelers are able to make their own travel arrangements on-line. For example, in the middle of a clieil meeting Suzie Aust, a meeting consultant, realizes that she has forgotten to book the next day's flight. She pulls out her laptop, gets on-line, and books the flight. Corporate America is worried about travelers like Suzie because they are often able to skirt corporate policies when making then-own reservations. Some companies use a product from Microsoft and American Express. Code-named Rome, the product will allow companies to control their own travelers by insisting that employees buy their own tickets through American Express. Needless to say, American and United Airlines axe each rolling out similar products. Ed Callaghan, president of corporate services for American Express, estimates that American compa­nies lose $15 billion a year due to deviations from corporate policy. And the portion of that sum lost to on-line reservation systems 'is ramping up quickly,' he says. Between 786,000 and 1.8 million business travelers are wired, according to Addison Shonland, director of aviation, travel, and marketing for CIC Research, in San Diego. The Eastman Group, a man­agement consulting and travel software group, predicts that by 2007, ap­proximately 65 percent of travel will be ticketless and by 2010, 99 percent of all airline travel will be ticketless.

Hotels are, for business travelers, supposed to be a home away from home. However, in some cases, they are more like the office away from the office. For hotels that are aiming to please their business travelers, they must not overlook the homier touches such as feather pillows and old-fashioned inn-keeping virtues: cleanliness, comfort, safety, attentive service, and peace and quiet.

 

Vocabulary notes

 

mainstay

   ïåðåí. îïîðà, ï³äòðèìêà

favorable

 ñïðèÿòëèâèé

discretionary   income

  äèñêðåö³éíèé äîõ³ä (âèòðàòè íà ïîòðåáè,

 

 ùî íå º æèòòºâî íåîáõ³äíèìè)

drop

 ïàäàòè

to look (at smth.)

  àíàë³çóâàòè, ðîçãëÿäàòè

car rental

ïðîêàò ëåãêîâèõ àâòîìîá³ë³â

domestic

âíóòð³øí³é, â ìåæàõ êðà¿íè

to roll out

 âèïóñêàòè íîâèé òîâàð ÷è ïðîïîíóâàòè

 

  íîâèé òèï ïîñëóã

full-fare

 çà ïîâíó âàðò³ñòü

discounted

ç³ çíèæêîþ

laptop

ïåðåíîñíèé (ïîðòàòèâíèé) êîìï’þòåð

to get on-line

ï³äêëþ÷àòèñÿ äî ìåðåæ³ (âõîäèòè â ³íòåðíåò)

to book a flight

 çàìîâëÿòè á³ëåò íà àâ³àðåéñ

to skirt

îáõîäèòè; íå äîòðèìóâàòèñü (ïðàâèë)

deviation

 óõèëåííÿ (â³ä ïðàâèë,  íîðì ÷è ñòàíäàðòó)

corporate policy

ïîë³òèêà (óñòàíîâêà, êóðñ,  ñóêóïí³ñòü

 

ïðèíöèï³â) îðãàíèçàö³¿

on-line reservation system

ñèñòåìà çàìîâëåííÿ àâ³àá³ëåò³â ÷åðåç ³íòåðíåò

to ramp (up)

 çá³ëüøóâàòèñü, çðîñòàòè

wired

 ò³, ùî çàìîâëÿþòü á³ëåòè ÷åðåç êîìï’þòåð

software

êîìïüþò. ïðîãðàìíå çàáåçïå÷åííÿ

to aim (to do smth.)

 ìàòè ìåòó

to be aimed (at doing smth.)

 Áóòè íàö³ëåíèì ùîñü çðîáèòè

to overlook

âèïóñòèòè ç âèäó

homier

ïî-äîìàøíüîìó çàòèøíèé

touches

 îñîáëèâîñò³, ðèñè

feather pillow

ïóõîâà ïîäóøêà

old-fashioned

ñòàðîìîäíèé

inn keeping

óòðèìàííÿ ãîòåëþ

virtue

 ïîçèòèâíà ðèñà

peace and quiet

 ñïîê³é, òèøèíà

 

Vocabulary focus

4. Match the equivalents:

 

  1) safety

a)

 äîçâîëÿòè

        2) favorable

b)

òðàòèòè

 3)  insist

c)

ö³íà

4) level

d)

íàñòîþâàòè

   5) similar

e)

áåçïåêà

6) price

f)

ñîá³âàðò³ñòü

7)  cost

g)

ð³âåíü

  8) spend

h)

 ñïðèÿòëèâèé

9)  allow

i)

  ñõîæèé

 

5. Match the synonyms:

 

  1) annual

a)

purpose

     2) forecast

b)

the United States

     3) ramp up

c)

pillow

4)  main

d)

increase

5) aim

e)

fast

      6) cushion

f)

show

        7)  indicate

g)

major

        8) America

h)

predict

          9) decrease

i)

let

10) allow

J)

decline

           11) understand

k)

yearly

     12) quickly

1)

realize

 

6. Match the antonyms:

 

1) lose

a)

past

     2) future

b)

discounted

3) sell

c)

clean

    4) major

d)

buy

5) dirty

c)

secondary

     6) leisure

f)

decrease

         7) domestic

g)

make

8) safe

h)

business

        9) ramp up

i)

updated

10) old

J)

decline

         11) full-fare

k)

dangerous

            12) increase

1)

international

 

7. Match the words with their definitions:

 

1)

group

a) a building where people pay to stay in a room and have meals

2)

price

b)  a period of 365 or 366 days divided into 12 months

3)

philosophy

c)  a person or company that does business for an-other

 

 

person or company, for example by selling their

 

 

products or by dealing with their customers

4)

year

d) the place where you usually live, especially with your family

5)

home

e)  coins or paper notes with their value printed on

 

 

them, which you use when you buy and sell things

6)

hotel

f)   the amount of money that you must pay in order to buy

something

7)

please

g)  one of narrow tubes with thin soft haii^s on each

 

 

side that cover a bird's body

8)

feather

h) things that someone wants to achieve, or that

 

 

something is intended to achieve

9)

manager

i)   a number of people or things that are together, or

 

 

that are connected in some way

10)

money

j) provide people with everything they want or need

11) agent

k) a system of beliefs or set of rules that influences

 

 

someone's decisions and behavior

 

12) comfort

1)   a small unit of money used in many countries

 

13) cent

m) a pleasant way of life in which you have everything you need

 

14) aim

n) money that someone gets from working or from investing

 

15) income

o) a person whose job is to organize and control the

 

 

work of a business or organization or a part of it

 

 

Comprehension

8. Answer the questions on the text:

1. What kind of travel has long been the mainstay of airlines and hotels? Why?

2. Does business travel tend to decline or increase?

3. What sort of travel is forecast to increase due to a favorable economic climate?

4. What produces increased discretionary income?

5.  What main factors indicate a bright future for the travel industry?

6.  What is Bob Litchman's position at Bay Networks'!

7. Do business or leisure travelers really contribute to an airline's earnings?

8.  What travelers do airlines sometimes lose money on?

9.  What travelers do airlines make money with?

10.  Why do American companies lose $15 billion a year, according to Ed Callaghan?

11.  Why do some companies tend to control their own travelers by insisting that employees buy their own tickets through American Express!

12.  Why are some companies worried about the travelers who are able to make their own reservations?

13.  What is supposed to be a home away from home for business travelers?

14.  Why are hotels sometimes like the office away from the office for business travelers?

15. Why are ticketless travels on the increase?

16. What homier touches can a business traveler find in a hotel that is aiming to please him or her?

 

9. Complete the sentences using proper words and phrases in the box.

increase; able to skirt; any travel agency; a bright future;

all travel; leisure time; to make a booking

1.      Numerous economic factors indicate________ for the travel in­dustry.

2.      _____ a business traveler only needs to pull out his laptop and get on-line.

3.      Leisure travel, as a percentage of all travel, will gradually

4.      Plenty of people now have more _____ and higher levels of education.

5.      An annual increase in travel costs of ten percent is very signifi­cant for            .

6.      Travelers are often _______ corporate policies.

7.      Some experts predict that practically _____ will soon be tick-etless.

 

10. State whether the following statements are true or false. Comment on the true statements and correct the false ones.

1.  Many people now have less leisure time and lower levels of edu­cation.

2.  The cost of travel has remained constant, or dropped, compared to inflation.

3.  Business travel is forecast to increase due to a favorable eco­nomic climate.

4.  A favorable economic climate produces increased discretionary income.

5. More leisure time and higher levels of education indicate a bright future for the travel industry.

6.  Leisure travelers are the passengers who really contribute to an airline's earnings.

7.  To book the flight any traveler only needs to pull out his laptop and get on-line.

     8.  A decreasing number of business travelers are able to make their own travel arrangements on-line.

     9.  For business travelers, hotels are sometimes like the office away from the office.

10.  All hotels try to please both business and leisure travelers.

11.  Airlines mostly make money with leisure travelers.

     12.  To please their business travelers, hotels should overlook the homier touches.

 

 

 

Discussion

11. Describe the difficulties a travel agency may be confronted with using the following words and phrases:

 

biggest travel agency;

-  the travel industry;

to forecast;

- to increase;

unfavorable economic climate;

- inflation;

due to;

- favorable economic climate;

to increase discretionary income;

- to pay salaries on time;

to promise no bright future;

-  cost;

hotel room;

-  suite;

car rental;

- to skirt corporate policies;

to make reservations;

- to book a flight;

to lose a hefty sum;

- to work at a profit;

to prosper;

- to earn enough money.

 

After having done the task describe the difficulties a travel agency is confronted with in detail.

 

  12. Work in pairs:

 

a) Look at the following words and phrases and think of a story that might combine them ail. You may reorder them in any way you like using any form of the verb:

•         raised enough money;

•         opened a new travel agency;

•         was forecast to increase;

•         the cost of travel has dropped;

•         the income remained constant;

•         lost money on their leisure travelers;

•         created a home away from home;

•         rather preferred the office away from the office;

•         to please their business travelers;  -

•         did not overlook the homier touches;

•         attentive service;

•         peace and quiet;

•         went sightseeing;

•         leisure and entertainment facilities.

b) When you have decided upon the story, tell it to your partner. Then listen to the story of your partner. Ask each other as many questions as you can to learn further details or clarify some points.

13. Entitle the paragraphs beginning with the words:

An analysis of business...

An increasing number...

14. Divide the text into other logical parts and entitle each of
them.

 

15. Give a summary of the text.