APPOINTMENTS AND INVITATIONS

1.

- Good morning.

- Good morning. Is this Mr. Howard's office? I was wonder­ing whether Mr. Howard could see me. My name is Bool.

- Mr. Bool, I am very sorry, but I'm afraid Mr Howard has several engagements today. He's in the meeting now and he has some other appointments this afternoon.

- Then would you kindly make an appointment for me?

- Yes, certainly. I'll just look in my diary. Now, would Friday at three-fifteen suit you?

- No, I'm afraid I won't be in town on Friday.

- Then would you be able to come on Monday at eleven?

- Yes, that would be quite all right.

- Good. I'll make it for eleven o'clock on Monday, then.

- Thank you very much.

2.

- Good morning. My name's Chris Day. I'd like to arrange a lunch appointment with Mr Norman. He told me to arrange it with you. Is he doing anything on Thursday 12th?

- Let me see now... I'm afraid he's going away for the whole day. How about Friday?

- No, I'm flying to Scotland on Friday. I'm not doing any­ thing on Wednesday afternoon though. Perhaps we could have a late lunch?

- Well, Mr Norman's going to a meeting at two, so he can't have a late lunch. He's free on Tuesday though.

- Tuesday.,. hmmm... Well, I'm meeting a client in the morn­ing but I'm not doing anything at lunchtime. Yes. Let's make it Tuesday. I'll come to the office at one o'clock.

- That's fine, Mr Day. One o'clock on Tuesday then. I'll tell Mr Norman to expect you. Goodbye.

- Thank you. Goodbye.

3.

- How about a game of golf next week?

- That's a good idea. What are you doing on Monday morning?

- Sorry. Monday morning's no good. I'm seeing the doctor. Are you free in the afternoon though?

- I'm afraid not. I'm going to a board meeting,

- I'm free all day Tuesday. Is that any good?

- No. That's no good either. I'm going to a conference.

- Well, I'm traveling to Oxford on Friday morning so we must meet on Wednesday or Thursday.

- How about Thursday? I'm not doing anything in the after­noon. Are you free?

- At last! I'm not doing anything either. I'll come round to your place about 1.30.

- See you on Thursday.

4.

- Do you have any engagements for Saturday evening?
- No. Why?

- Would you come and have dinner with me and my wife?

- That's very kind of you. I'd love to. What time shall I come?

- About seven o'clock. Is it all right with you?

- Yes, it's all right with me. I'll be there about seven.

SOME MORE PHRASES to be used for arrangements:

- Can we arrange a meeting / an appointment for tomor­row?

- Would 3 o'clock suit you?

- I have an appointment with Mr. N... for 3 tomorrow. I’m calling to confirm / cancel / it. -1 am calling to postpone my appointment till a later date,

- Let's fix the date.

- Will the same time after tomorrow be convenient for you?

- It's all right with me. Thank you.

16. PETTY CASH & CHANGING MONEY

Мелкая наличность офиса

DEALING WITH PETTY CASH

In the office they usually have the amount of money avail­able for petty cash. This money spent on travel (bus, fares, etc.), snacks (coffee, sugar, biscuits, etc,), possibly, on some stationery (envelopes, pens, etc.) is recorded into the petty cash book, with the receipts (as written proofs of payment) being attached to this financial report.

This system of recording petty cash transactions is known. as the imprest system. The amount of money available for petty cash is called the float.

TALKING ABOUT PETTY CASH

- Where's all the petty cash gone?

- Well, last Monday I bought some coffee and milk and the next day I paid $12 for stamps.

- What else?

- And I bought a petty cash book and the flowers cost $15.
'- What flowers?

- For Betty. She is in hospital.

- What about the rest?

- The rest went for sundries.

17. MONEY & BANKING

Деньги и банковское дело

BANKING ACCOUNTS

If you want to invest money at short term, you've got seve­ral possibilities: first, a current account. This gives you the possibility of having all your money at your immediate dis­posal. It also entitles you to a cheque-book. Second, you've got a deposit account. It is a better investment as it gives a higher interest. However, though you are entitled to a cheque­book, you can only withdraw up to a certain sum each month. For larger amounts, you must give the bank a few months' notice. Finally, you have certificates of deposit. These pay the highest interest. However, they block your capital for a fixed period of 3, 4 or 5 years. Your choice of short-term investment, therefore, will depend largely on how quickly you'd like to have access to your money.

OPENING AN ACCOUNT

- We wish to open a current account with you for the use of the manager of our office. The manager's name is Mr Ro­bert Bush, and he will be authorized to sign cheques on our behalf

- OK. We'll arrange for an appointment for this gentleman to visit the bank and complete the necessary formalities and provide a specimen of his signature. Also, we require some references.

- We can refer you to the British Clydeside Bank, Glasgow, where you will get all information you need on our compa­ny's financial status.

- Thank you. What cash deposit will your make?

- We intend to open the account with a cash deposit of $ 50,000.

- Now, let's fix the time for the appointment.

GETTING A LOAN

Initially, the lender will ask you three questions:

§ How will you use the loan?

§ How much do you need to borrow?

§ How will you repay the loan?

When you apply for the loan, you must provide projected financial statements and a clear business plan which supplies the name of the firm, location, production facilities, legal structure and business goals.

Two main accounting documents - two basic financial statements - should be prepared: (1) the balance sheet, which is a record of assets, liabilities and capital; and (2) the in­come (profit-and-loss) statement, a summary of earnings and expenses over a given period of time.

A clear description of your experience and management capabilities, as well as the expertise of other key personnel, will also be needed. In the USA, if your loan applications are declined by at least two banks, you may ask the banker to make the loan under Small Businesses Administration's Loan Guarantee Plan.