Alpha Zone : A-Z

The story of an IT company for English Language Students

© Philip NEWMAN

A-Z: Alpha Zone subjects

A. Location N. Women’s Issues B. Lowford Town O. AGM C. Reception P. IT D. Receptionists Q. Audits E. The Lift R. Health & Safety F. Going up S. The CEO G. “Left and Right” T. Recruitment H. Company Culture U. Lunchtime Food I. Codes of Conduct V. A Challenge J. Office Layout W. In-house Magazine K. Organogram X. Disaster Strikes L. Company History Y. PC Image M. Employment Terms Z. Office Party

A. Location

The headquarters of Alpha Zone stands on the right corner of the Lincoln Road and Albert

Street T-junction. Opposite, on the other side of Albert Street and to the right of the Delta

Savings Bank, stands its competitor Omega Tech. Both buildings are exceedingly tall,

modern, glass-fronted establishments; quite unlike the dirty, grey, concrete, multi-storey

car park to the left of the Delta Savings Bank, or the old, paint-flaking, Chinese sea-food

restaurant to the right of Alpha zone. Just around the corner of Albert Street, on Lincoln

Road, after the Red Lion pub and on the same side as Alpha Zone's side entrance, is a

delightful, tiny, French café with numerous tables on the pavement in front, shaded by a

great, leafy, oak tree. Even so, it's very popular with Alpha Zone and Omega Tech

employees, and gets very crowded at lunch times.

1. Draw a map/ street plan showing the location of Alpha Zone and other buildings in the text.

2. Compare your map/street plan with a partner

3. Draw a map/street plan showing the location of your workplace

4. Listen to a partner describe the location of their workplace. Draw a map to show where it is.

5. Explain what your company building looks like from the outside.

E.g. glass-fronted, red-bricked, steps leading up to entrance, parking, company sign, flowers…

Albert Street L

I

N

C

O

L

N

R

D

Order of adjectives:

opinion, big, shape, age, colour, Ving/Ved*, nationality, material, type + noun

Now, try these:

1. I bought a (French, porcelain, antique, big, beautiful) vase.

2. We rented a (little, nice, two-bedroomed, old) chalet.

3. She drives a (sports, twelve-cylinder, red, Italian, fast, old) car.

4. He works for a (chemical, large, American) company.

5. We ate in a/an (stone-floored, interesting, fish, Greek) restaurant

…..ing/……...ed adjectives - Choose the correct suffix. A green-hair….. boy took the sleep……. baby from the cry….... mother. It had been a long, tir…... day and the mother was exhaust………. .. Across the road a long-legg…… girl was confus………. She actually felt worr…….. an shock……. to see the green-hair…... boy take the baby. In fact, it was tempt….. to go and talk to the boy. It was just so intrigue…...! But more surpris……….. was when she saw the cry……. mother kiss the green-hair……… That was amaz…… and she felt embarrass…… now for being so concern..... .

Ha! What an amus……. story!

Are you bored or boring?

Is this lesson interesting or interested?

Am I confused you or confusing you?

Are spiders frightened or frightening?

Are you shocked or shocking?

B. Lowford Town

Alpha Zone’s offices are located in the town of Lowford, 40 miles from London and well

situated for business. Lowford is an old, traditional, market town that slowly blended into the

London commuter belt though the 1980s and is now considered to be on the London

outskirts. But the town has kept its charm too. A branch of the river Thames runs through

the town centre, where there are plenty of pubs and restaurants, plus a very old ‘moot hall’.

This is an ancient, Anglo-Saxon, meeting hall. Today it serves as a museum. Today’s civic

affairs and council meetings are conducted in a modern ‘Town Hall’.

Describe the location of your company.

Explain the advantages of its geographic situation.

Draw the geographic situation of your company:

1. Which adjectives describe your city?

Modern, ancient, old, large, small,

interesting, boring, exciting, beautiful,

ugly, expensive, cheap, polluted, dirty,

clean, noisy, calm, crowded, busy,

pleasant, unpleasant, safe, dangerous,

lively, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan, ….

2. What do you have in your city?

Shopping centers, department stores,

museums and art galleries, libraries

restaurants, bars, cafés, nightclubs,

discos, cinemas, theatres, sports halls,

swimming pools, football stadiums,

athletics tracks, religious buildings,

rivers, lakes, parks, squares, markets,

palaces, forts, castles, city walls,

harbours, ports, islands, beaches,

creeks…..

4. Choose correct word in italics

Marseille is in the south of France/ south of France

Marseille is in the south of Aix/ south of Aix

Marseille is east/ west of Toulon

Marseille is near/ far from Perpignan

Marseille is in the/ on the coast

Marseille is between/ opposite Montpellier and Nice

Marseille is above/ below Avignon

3. Where is your company?

Is it in the centre/ outskirts of the city?

Is it in the east/west of the city?

What district is it on/in?

What road is it on/in?

What is the address?

Explain why you like or dislike your city/town

C. Reception

The main entrance to Alpha Zone is on Albert Street. This is a huge glass door that slides

open as you approach. The first thing you notice on entering the building, especially in

summer, is the refreshing coolness. It's really quite striking. Then you notice how quiet it is

inside and how calmly people come-and-go. No-one rushes. And the receptionists always

greet you with a welcoming smile; politely requesting your identity and the nature of your

visit. There are three receptionists, all women, who dress in smart uniforms with the company

logo printed on their black jackets. In fact, everyone dresses smartly at Alpha Zone. It's part

of their company culture.

Reception

1. Describe the reception area of your company.

(Reception desk, seating for visitors, plants, posters, windows, lifts, stairs etc.).

2. Decide which of the following expressions would not be used at a company's reception:

a) “Good morning, I'm here to see Mr. Adams”

b) “Do you have a reservation?”

c) “Could I have your name, please?”

d) “Is Mr. Adams expecting you?”

e) “Please take a seat while I see if he's free.”

f) “Where would you like to sit - in the stalls or in the gallery?”

g) “Are you ready to order?”

h) “Do you have an appointment?”

___________________________________

3. Where would you expect to hear the phrases not heard at a reception?

4. Who would you expect to say the phrases at the reception - visitor (V) or receptionist (R)?

5. Imagine & practice a dialogue between a visitor and a company receptionist.

After explaining who you are, the receptionist telephones the person you've come to visit.

Then you are invited to take the lift to the appropriate floor. There are two lifts, side-by-side.

Above each lift are orange neon numbers indicating which floor the lift is on. Everyone who

waits for the lift stands and watches these numbers, whilst listening to the sound of the lift

approaching. You can hear the doors open-and-close on the floors above-and-below, and

people getting in-and-out.

Expressions linked by 'and'

1. Find examples in the text above.

2. Find the missing words below:

a) We need to discuss the ____- and- ____ of the project (advantages/disadvantages)

b) I've looked ____ -and- ______ for my keys (everywhere)

c) It was _____ -and-____ whether the rescuers would get there on time. (very close)

d) Can you show me the ______-and-_____ to support your argument. (details)

e) Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It's a case of ______-and-_______. (balance)

******************************

touch-and-go; swings-and-roundabouts; facts-and-figures; high-and-low; pros-and-cons

What should the perfect reception area have? Which are your top 5?

- Drinks (vending) machine

- Fresh water

- Newspapers and trade journals

- Tourist pamphlets/sight-seeing guides

- Television

- Piped music

- Comfortable seating

- Air conditioning

- Plants

- Framed photographs

- Art objects

D. Receptionists

The receptionists are Alpha Zone sometimes have a hard time with difficult customers. From

time-to-time a client arrives demanding to see Sheila Walker, or one of the managers, without

an appointment. Or, a client may telephone and demand to be put through to someone in

charge. Of course, the receptionists try and deal with this situation as diplomatically as

possible. But if no-one is free to talk with them or take their calls - what can they do?

Situation Best Response

Customer arrives in person demanding

to see someone in charge.

I’m afraid there’s no-one available at the moment.

Come back later.

Would you mind taking at seat and I’ll see if

someone is free.

I’m afraid we’re all very busy today. Would you

mind coming again tomorrow?

Really, you need to make an appointment to see

someone.

I’ll pass on a message that you’ve called and ask

someone to get in contact with you.

Other?

Customer telephones demanding to be

put through to someone in charge. I’m afraid ….. isn’t available at the moment, can I

ask them to call you back?

Could I take a message? I’ll let them know you’ve

called and I’m sure they’ll get back to you as soon

as possible.

Could you call back later, please?

I’ll tell them you’ve called. Have a nice day.

I understand this is urgent, Mr. /Ms. … and I’ll do

my best to get someone to contact you asap.

Other?

Put the reception conversation below in the correct order:

Not at all. Thank-YOU

Would you like a coffee?

Mr.Baker, Ms.Walker is free to see you. Would you mind taking the lift to the 6th floor.

(RING! RING!)

Hello. Yes, I’ve got an appointment with Ms. Walker at 1O 0’clock

No, thank -you, I’m fine.

Hello, Ms. Walker? This is Melanie in reception I have a Mr. Baker here to see you

I’ll send him right up.

Your name, please?

One moment, Mr. Baker; I’ll see if she’s free.

(RING! RING!)

I’m afraid her line is engaged for the moment, would you like to take a seat?

Thank-you.

I’m Adam Baker - from Zeta Insurance.

Hello, good morning, may I help you?

__________________________________________________

Receptionist Visitor

Match the telephone expressions :

We were cut off I’ll get back to you

I’ll call you back He rang off while I was talking

I’ll transfer you The line went dead

He hung up on me Wait one moment, please

Hold the line please I’ll put you through

E.The lift.

The lift arrives. There's a slight pause and then the doors open. Sometimes, there's a group of

people inside standing shoulder-to-shoulder and staring out at you with a joint message of:

'No room! Don't even try to enter!' If nobody is inside the lift, you stare into an empty

metallic box that you know is hanging in space above a drop of several metres. You just have

to trust that the lift maintenance department regularly checks the mechanisms. The lifts at

Alpha Zone measure approximately 2 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and 2.5 metres high and

both have a large mirror on one wall. There's also a sign reading a maximum load either of

eight people or 700 kgs. Nevertheless, you ignore any fears and claustrophobic panics; step in,

press the required floor number, and the doors close.

1. How long/wide/ high are the lifts at your work place?

2. What are the lengths/widths/heights of the lifts at your work place?

3. What is the volume of the lift at Alpha Zone?

4. There are eight people in the lift at Alpha Zone. Four people weigh 85 kgs, two people weigh

90 kgs and two people weigh 100 kgs. Is the maximum load exceeded?

5. Explain the dimensions of objects in the room - e.g. book, heater, table, the room, TV screen,

door, window, pencil, calendar …….

6. What shape and colour are the objects?

7. What material are the objects made of?

8. What are the objects used for?

9. Describe the objects in detail.

1. In pairs: Choose an object below. Do not tell your partner the object. Describe the

object to your partner. Your partner needs to decide which object you choose.

2. In pairs: Choose an object above. Do not tell your partner the object. Partner asks you

‘Yes/No’ questions to discover the object you choose.

(images taken from clipart)

F. ‘Going up’.

A 'lift' we call this device - or 'elevator', in American English. Strangely, these are the words

we use whether the device is ‘going up’ or ‘going down’. However, if the ‘going down’ terms

are used to describe the device more people might use the stairs. ‘To drop’ sounds quite

frightening. In fact, all 'up' terms, like ‘raise’, ‘rise’, 'lift' and 'elevator' are positive, whilst

'down' terms like 'drop' or ‘lower' are negative. This is true in other contexts too:

'Cheer up and don't look so down', we might say to someone looking sad. 'Rising up the

(employment) ladder' or 'hitting rock bottom', are opposite extremes. And similarly, being on

cloud nine is really quite heavenly in comparison with 'sinking into depression'. Try these

terms below, noting that some can be both ‘up’ and 'down'.

Positive Negative

a lift in morale to feel down

to feel elevated to be on a downer (slang)

An uplifting song to lower the tone of a conversation

to be promoted up the ladder to be demoted down the ladder

a raise/ a rise in salary a drop in salary

to raise your glass/hat (when?) to lower the flag (when?)

Decide which column to place suffix ‘up’ or ‘down’. Perhaps both?

up down

_ market

_ -to-date

_ pour

_ stream

_ grade

Now try with these phrasal verbs:

back down, bring s.one up, bring s.one down, give up, let s.one down, break down, pick up, make

s.th up, shut down, turn s.th/s.th down, tidy up, dress up)

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/

First - place the phrasal verbs in columns of ‘positive’ or ‘negative’

Positive Negative

1) I was _________ _____ (raised) by my parents in Paris

2) I know you can do it. So, please don’t __________ me _________ (disappoint)

3) My desk is a mess. I need to ______ it _______. (organize

4) Don’t believe a word he says. He’s __________ it _________ (inventing)

5) Can you _____ me _____ (collect) from the airport?

6) I asked for a pay rise, but my request was _________ _________ (refused)

7) John argued his idea strongly, but finally had to ______ ______ (admit defeat)

8) “Oh please, don’t _______ me _________ (make me sad)

9) Her car ______ ___________ (stopped working) on the way home.

10) Are you going to _________ _________ (wear smart clothes) for the party?

11) The company was losing a lot of money, so they decided to ______ it ________. (close)

12) I can’t do it. I ________ ____! (submit).

G. ‘Left and Right’

So - what about 'left' and ‘right'? Do these terms also have positive/negative sentiments?

Absolutely! Too right! 'Righteous' people follow 'morally right' roads. And left-wing politics

is considered more social than the conservative ‘right-wing politics’. Then again, going

forwards in life is positive whilst going backwards is negative. Mythologically, 'going west' to

where the sun sets is a euphemism for 'going to die'. The east, by contrast, where the sun

rises, often represents life. That's the religious significance of Easter. Mammalian life would

not exist without eggs being produced by oestrogen.

Insert 'left or 'right'. Do the terms have positive or negative significance?

In one's ______ mind (sane)

_______ overs (dinner waste)

to know one's _____________ (legal dues)

to play your cards ___________ (results in a positive result)

to have two ____ feet (clumsy at dancing)

a _______ - hand man (no.1 man)

____ -of-way (public access)

D

L O I C

N K

C O L

L A

N N E

R Chelsea Avenue O

A

D

Alpha

Zone

Albert Street

Choose correct term in italics:

Andrew is walking along/through

Albert Street. He turns right/to

the right at Lincoln Rd then on

his right/right again into Chelsea

Avenue. After 100 metres he sees

a telephone box to the right/on his

right. He turns left to/into Dock

Lane opposite/ in front of the

telephone box and takes the

second road on his right/to his

right. After 50 metres he gets/gets

to home. His house is left/on the

left.

1. Draw a map with the direction - A) From the train station to the city/town centre

Or - B) From the nearest motorway junction to your company

Or - C) From your house to the nearest supermarket

2. Explain the map and directions to a partner. Partner copies onto a different piece of paper.

3. Compare maps

H. Company Culture

You are in the lift moving to another floor, another department, another work culture. At

Alpha Zone each floor has its own department with its own way of working. Some floors

have open-plan offices with areas to relax and drink coffee. Other floors have closed offices,

sometimes shared by two or three employees. The top floor is for the CEO and the legal

department. There is also a large room here for company board meetings.

The company is hierarchical, in theory, but in practice it’s quite egalitarian. Everyone is very

committed to their work and employees all get on well together - and pull together. It’s

actually quite informal with ‘work hard and play hard’ being the underlying company motto.

Everybody uses first name terms, even with the bosses; dress style is smart-casual, and

romances sometimes occur; though they are kept discreet.

Put the dialogue between A and B in the correct order

A

B

Company culture

1. What are the 'unspoken rules’ of conduct at your company?

(dress codes, hair, beards, jewellery, tattoos, personal hygiene, toilet breaks, coffee

breaks, terms of address, tidiness, working flexibility, complaining, laughing,

smoking, car parking, socializing, romance...)

“Sure, I’ll show you the ropes. Meet me

here at 12 0’clock. Don’t let me down.”

“Are you settling in OK?”

“You will. We’re a good team. We all

get on well together and everyone pulls

their weight.”

“Normally at the French Café next door”

“I’ll be here. You can rely on me.”

“Where do you eat at lunch?”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Yes, thanks, but I still don’t know

everyone”

Hierarchical

Task Person

Egalitarian

(adapted from Head for Business. Oxford)

South Korea ▪

France ▪

Australia ▪

Mexico ▪

UK ▪

USA ▪

Place companies A-D on the diagram above:

A) A family run company, very caring for its employees. Paternalistic.

B) Authoritarian company. Impersonal. Duties and responsibilities clearly defined.

C) Informal, but impersonal. High commitment to projects desired of employees.

D) Strong teamwork. Individual encouraged in self/career development

Place your company on the chart above

I. Codes of conduct

Alone in the lift we may act in ways considered unacceptable in social settings. No-one is

there to disapprove when we yawn, belch, stretch, pick our noses, tuck in our shirts,

scratch our backs – or worse. But then the lift stops, another person enters and our solitary

existence ends.

Do we smile and greet, or do we stare silently at our shoes? Rules of lift etiquette have

never been clearly defined. Most people fix their eyes upon the numbers counting the floors,

studying them intently without exchanging a word.

Finally, the lift stops at our floor and the doors open. We step out, into a departmental floor,

and become social human beings again. Now, remembering polite social behaviour, we wish

our silent companions in the lift a good day as we exit.

Codes of conduct in a lift:

Place in appropriate column: eat, drink, smoke, wear a large hat, wear a bikini, sing, start

a conversation, greet other(s), kiss colleagues, talk on mobile phone, sit on the floor, read a

newspaper, put on make-up, brush your hair, adjust clothing.

Can Should Shouldn't Mustn’t Depends

Decide for the same codes of conduct in your office:

Can Should Shouldn't Mustn’t Depends

In which country should you -

- not look someone in the eye

- not cross your fingers for good luck

- not give chrysanthemums or red roses as a dinner guest

- burp after a meal

- avoid wearing purple

- Not eat with your left hand

Japan

Saudi Arabia

Vietnam

Mexico

Italy

S .Korea

When abroad, or overseas, in a new country, things may seem very strange. At first this can be exciting - but then it can be too weird and we may feel like a fish out of water. People behave differently and we may be afraid of ‘putting our foot in it’ by doing something ‘not correct’. How should foreigners to you country behave in the following situations to avoid making - social gaffes?

_________________________________________ Greetings Clothes Meal-times Forms of address Giving/ receiving gifts Kissing Saying goodbye Punctuality Cross-gender relations Using the toilet

J. Office layout

Inside the Alpha Zone lift, and looking up at the floor numbers lighting up as we ascend, we

can see the names of each department we pass. Of course, the top floor is reserved for the

CEO and directors whilst the maintenance and office cleaning department is hidden down

in the basement.

Entrance

CEO & Legal Departments

Human Resources, Admin. & Accounting Departments

IT Department

Sales and Marketing Department

Customer Services Department

Archives and Stock rooms Reception

Maintenance & Office Cleaning

Lift

True or false :

1) The IT department is on the fifth floor

2) The Maintenance department is on the ground floor

3) There are two basement floors

4) The HR department is two floors above the CEO’s floor

5) Alpha Zone has six floors.

Draw your office here - then describe it for a partner to copy.

Describe your office:

- Where are the desks ?

- Where is the office equipment?

- Where are the cupboards and filing cabinets

- What is on the walls?

- Where are your colleague’s desks?

- What do you see outside the window?

Describe your desk:

- What is on the desk?

- What is under the desk?

- What is beside the desk?

- What is in front of and behind the desk?

Where?

on

in

above

below

next to

near

in front of

behind

between

on the right/left of

Listen to your partner describe their office - and draw it here:

K. Organogram

Alpha Zone is a hierarchical company. The CEO’s name is Sheila Walker. It is a private

company and the directors are private investors. The only come to the company for board

meetings. Senior management have their offices on the same floor as the CEO. Lower

managers have offices on their department floors where they can keep an eye on the staff and

solve any problems that come up. Here is the company’s organogram:

CEO (Sheila Walker)

Legal HR, Admin & Accounting IT Sales & Marketing Customer Services

Tom Pierce Bill Brewer Jan Stewer Peter Gurney Peter Davy Daniel Whiddon Harry Hawk Tom Cobbley

2 staff 5 staff 2 staff 12 staff 5 staff 4 staff 6 staff

Plus - 1 maintenance technician & 2 receptionists

_______________________________________________________________________

Correct the following text: (check the prepositions!)

In total, 49 employees work in Alpha Zone (1). Tom Pierce has sole responsibility of legal

affairs and has his office on the top floor on Sheila Walker (2). Bill Brewer is in charge for

the HR department with 2 employees working over him (2). Jan Stewer runs Admin. whilst

Peter Guerney deals for Accounting (1). Peter Davy is responsible of IT (1). He leads a team

at 12 IT technicians (1). Daniel Whiddon works side-by-side to Harry Hawk (1). Tom

Cobbley is the boss on the Customer Service department and oversees a team off 6 employers

(3). There are 2 receptionists who look for the reception and one maintenance person who

ensures the office equipment is kept at good working order (2).

Explain your company’s organogram

- Where is your company headquarters?

- How many branches does your company have?

- What is your branch and where is it?

- How many levels of hierarchy are there in your company?

- Where are you on the organogram?

- Who are you directly responsible to?

- Who do you liaise with?

Draw your company’s organogram here :

Same company as partner Different company from partner

How are you and your partner What do your companies have in

linked at work? common?

What is different about your companies?

L. Alpha Zone history.

Put the verbs in brackets in the past tense:

Alpha Zone ……………. (be founded) in 2002 by George Tiler. At first it ……. (be) a small

company employing only 3 people, but it ……… (grow) rapidly. George soon…..…. (find) that

there was a market for database management and…….. (employ) a web developer who ………

(set up) a website for his company.

At first, Alpha Zone …..…… (operate) from George Tiler’s home. But, as revenue from the

business ……… (rise) swiftly, George ………… (buy) the premises on Albert Street in 2008.

The number of employees as the company also …………. (go up) significantly between 2008 and

2012.

The financial crisis …………….. (have, negative) too much impact on Alpha Zone, although it

……… (do) incur a slight loss in profits. However, as the IT industry ………..… (develop), more

and more companies …………. (seek) Alpha Zone’s help to store securely masses of information

and data.

Alpha Zone …………. (be floated) on the stock market in 2014 with an IPO of £22.50 per share.

The flotation ………. (bring about) a huge increase in financial assets and as a result the company

………… (be able to) branch out into other IT sectors such as consultancy, software installation

and training, web development etc.

Write your company’s history below:

Explain your company’s history to a partner.

In Pairs:

Ask your partner questions to find the missing information about Maypoles Ltd.

Student A: Maypoles LTD :

Maypoles is a _________ company in the north of England founded by

_______________ in 1996. After leaving school at _____ years old, Norman

Maypole worked on the market with ___________ selling fruit and vegetables. He

started his own stall _______ years later selling imported cheap Chinese clothes. These

sold so well that he started supplying __________________. Soon, he needed extra

storage space and created Maypoles.

In______________, Maypoles employed 30 staff and had a turnover

of________________. Maypoles continued to grow and in 2005 the company took over

Sprinters, their competitors. Norman Maypole then ____________________________in

2008. In 2011 The company opened up its own Maypoles shops in _________towns in

England and Scotland, and launched its own Maypoles brand of clothing in 2014. Today,

the company employs a staff of ______________ personnel and turns over £120M per

year.

Student B : Maypoles Ltd :

Maypoles is a textile company in __________________founded by Norman Maypole

in____________. After leaving school at 16 years old, Norman Maypole worked

__________________ with father selling_________________. He started his own stall

2 years later selling_____________________________. These sold so well that he

started supplying local high street shops. Soon, he needed

_________________________ and created Maypoles.

In 2002, Maypoles employed _____________ staff and had a turnover of £1.2M.

Maypoles continued to grow and in 2005 the company _______________

____________, their competitors. Norman Maypole then bought the current premises in

2008. In 2011 __________________________ in 12 towns in England and Scotland, and

launched its own Maypoles brand of clothing in____________. Today, the company

employs a staff of 150 personnel and turns over_______________.

M. Employment terms

Alpha Zone employees feel very secure in their jobs. No-one was laid-off during the financial

crisis and many employees expect to stay with the company until their retirements. 80% of

staff is on full-time contracts whilst 20% work part-time - and a few of these employees

(women) job share to help with childcare. Occasionally, work is outsourced, but this is rare.

There are no ‘shifts’, as such, because offices hours are from 8am - 6pm, though a degree of

flexi-time operates. Breaks, too, are flexible, as long as employees do not abuse the system.

There is no canteen, but there is a small kitchen on each floor with a fridge to store food and

also a microwave. Often, though, employees pop out for a sandwich or eat a snack at the

French Café round the corner on Lincoln Road.

Explain - for your company :

1. Type of contract 5. Disciplinary procedure 9. Worker’s committee benefits

2. Working hours 6. Grievance procedure 10. Leaving company procedure

3. Holidays 7. Perks? 11. Induction procedure

4. Sickness leave procedure 8. Union membership 12. Appraisals procedure

Pay - Overworked and underpaid?

Remuneration comes in many forms - match the type (A) with definition (B)

A. B.

Salary The more you produce the more money you receive

Wage Earnings, extra to salary, for sales achieved

Performance related pay White-collar monthly remuneration

Piece-work Extra money to encourage workers to work better

Bonus Money received for money spent on business trips

Commission Blue collar weekly remuneration

Profit sharing Special reward for good work

Incentives Regular reward for good results

Travel expenses Awarding a percentage of company profits

Role-play the following employee/manager scenarios:

Working conditions negotiation:

Employee Manager

Increase in salary (pay rise) Increase in workload/efficiency

Flexitime Less time-wasting

Longer lunch break, tea breaks Willingness to work overtime when needed

In company crèche No personal mobile phone calls

Travel expenses include meals & drinks Absolutely not!

Annual Appraisal

Manager - ask employee about …. Employee - tell manager about…

Personal development in the last year Personal development in the last year

Difficulties, problems Difficulties, problems

Complaints Complaints

Requests, wishes, suggestions…..

Manager - tell employee about …. Employee - ask manager about…

Work record Promotion/ change of department

Good points, points to develop Extra training

Conflict :

Manager - ask employee about Employee - explain to manager about…

Recent conflict with colleague Colleague taking liberties, always making

personal phone calls in loud voice, taking lots

of cigarette breaks - then asking him/her to with

work…don’t get on at all…

Listen and respond Show anger!

N. Women’s issues

Although the CEO (Sheila Walker) is a woman, women are under-represented in

management. Several women employees in the company believe this is a case of sexual

discrimination. They say it reflects the ‘glass-ceiling’ of many businesses where upward

mobility is denied to women. Many of the male employees, on the other hand, believe IT is a

male-dominated profession and so it’s natural to have a majority of male managers.

Senior Management Middle Management Staff

MEN

87.5%

MEN

70% MEN

60%

WOMEN

12.5% WOMEN

30% WOMEN

40%

Yes or No: More women should be represented in both senior and middle management

- At Alpha Zone

- At your company

Agree or disagree :

- Women leave companies to have babies and bring up children - so they can’t

expect to reach upper management positions.

- Some professions, such as Engineering and IT, attract men more than women.

So it’s natural to have more male senior managers in these professions.

- Companies should provide childcare facilities on the premises. That way,

women can resume their posts after taking maternity leave.

- Having babies and looking after children is equal responsibility for men and

women. So women shouldn’t be discriminated against more than men.

Looking after children :

ChildcareNursery 42%

Childminder29%Parent 12%

Family 9%

Friend 5%

WorkCreche3%

(Fictitious)

Linda Mortimer, who works in HR under Bill Brewer, has 2 children (3 & 6 years

old). In the morning she takes her 3-year-old daughter to her mother’s house at

8.00 am and then drops her 6-year-old son off at school. Her mother looks after

her daughter until 8.45am and then takes her to a day nursery - picking her up

again at 3.30 in the afternoon.

In the afternoon, Linda’s husband picks up their 6-year-old son from school at 4

pm. When Linda finishes work she drives to her mother’s house at 5 pm to fetch

her daughter.

How do you cope with work and looking after children?

O. AGM

Once a year Alpha Zone has an ‘Annual General Meeting’ which all employees are invited

to attend. This is an occasion for Sheila Walker, the CEO, to report on the previous years’

results and to explain future plans. Normally, this is a power point presentation lasting about

2 hours. But, it’s also a team-building exercise - an occasion for everyone to get together

and feel part of the whole. Here are some of the power point slides. Maybe you can help

explain them?

Turnover/ Debits: £K MARKET SECTORS

Rising demand for data storage Young, dynamic team with high expertise

Non-existent inter-departmental liaising

Proximity to London and new satellite towns High overheads

Cloud computing & new technologies.

Project planning needs improving Accreditations & Reputation

Growing client base

Location of company & Brand name Cash flow

Growing need for information security

Merger with Omega Tech.? Omega Tech. + other, new, ‘start up’ competitors

Price competitivity

SWOT ANALYSIS: Enter the details of Box B into correct section of Box A

Suggest ways for Alpha Zone to deal with their weaknesses and threats & to

take advantage of their strengths and opportunities.

As you can see our number of clients has been _____________________ (steady, rise) and

we expect this upward trend to continue next year.

Sales have been good. From 3.5m in the first quarter they ___________________ (go up,

sharp) to 5.2 million. They _________________ (level off ) at 5.2 million and ____________

(remain stable) until the third quarter where they ______________ (fall, slight) by around 1

million. However, with our _____________ (steady, grow) in the number of clients this is just

a temporary setback and we can expect to see sales ____________ (?) again next quarter.

Concerning staff numbers, we started the year at 60 employees. This number __________

(rise, slight) in the second quarter as we took on two new assistants in the dispatch

department. We then took on another 1O temporary workers over the summer seasons so that

our staff numbers _______________ (reach a peak) at 72 employees. Naturally this number

___________ (fall) at the end of the summer season and now __________ (remain stable) at

62 employees.

______________________________________________

Present the graphs below:

01020304050607080

Sales 100k

Employees

Clients

Now - cover the text and explain the graphs in your own words

P. IT

Information Technology and database management is at the core of Alpha Zone’s business.

The company’s technicians are all highly competent in using the latest cutting edge

encryption technology to protect their clients’ data from hackers. In Alpha Zone’s hands

clients’ data is never breached or compromised. Alpha Zone is proud of their track-record

and can assure its clients of 100% data confidentiality.

As the company has grown they have branched out into other IT areas such as software

programming and installing computer systems tailor-made to meet clients’ specific

requirements. They will then train clients’ staff to operate these systems and be on call

through a customer services ‘hot-line’, should the clients come up against any particular

computer problems. Web-site development is a new side-line Alpha Zone has also recently

entered into.

‘It’s not rocket science’ Match the following computing activities:

to boot to go down/ to freeze

to crash to ensure confidentiality

to set up to key in

to back up to wipe out

to enter to restart

to execute to save on external disc/USB key

to protect to install

to delete to run

Complete sentences by joining parts A with parts B:

A B

You just need to click and… …. up to see the heading at the top

You can insert this text by cutting and … …drag this image to align it correctly

Then scroll…. … pasting it where you want

Explain how computers have changed our lives

Daily Computer use:

1-2 hrs

per day

2-4 hrs

per day

4+ hrs

per day

How much time do you

spend on the computer?

How much time do you

waste on the computer?

______________________________________

Enter the percentage of time you spend on the activities below:

Activities 0-10% 10-25% 25-50% 50-75% 75-100%

Work- related

Social

networking

Research

Youtube

Blogs

News and

articles

Other?

Explain how computer can become addictive

Explain how computers help us organize our lives

Explain the dangers of computers

Explain how you safeguard your computer

Q. Audits

Alpha Zone considers maintaining its ISO 9001 accreditation essential, and proudly displays

the award in the reception area. It shows visitors the importance of ‘total quality

management’ for the company and that it strives for continuous improvement. This

industry standard gives Alpha Zone the international stamp of professionalism and

credibility, without which it would be difficult to attract investors and clients.

Alpha Zone is externally audited every 4 years, but carries out its own internal audits once a

year. All companies are under the spotlight in today’s competitive market and Alpha Zone is

no exception. Regulatory compliance to ensure statutory requirements are met is central

to Alpha Zone’s work ethic. Managers and staff responsibility towards quality control means

no corners are cut. As a result, Alpha Zone has achieved its high reputation as a reliable and

trustworthy company.

_________________________________________

Match terms in box A with terms in box B to make auditing collocations:

A B

continuous

regulatory

statutory

technical

measurable

quality

minimum

specifications

assurance

standards

improvement

compliance

objectives

requirements

Positive or negative?

Positive Negative

shoddy

hazardous

spotless

sub-standard

cluttered

neat

inefficient

orderly

Carry out an audit on your English language lessons

Terrible Bad Average Good Excellent

Venue of

lesson

Time/day of

lesson

Lesson

‘ambiance’

Quality of

supports

Quality of

teaching

Your speaking

time

Teacher’s

speaking time

Administration

How much do you think you have progressed? 0 1 2 3 4 5

(0 = not at all, 5 = a lot)

Global Satisfaction 0 1 2 3 4 5

What do you appreciate most about your lessons?

What would you like to be changed about your lessons?

R. Health & Safety

Alpha Zone takes issues of health and safety very seriously. For this reason, all employees are

asked to have an annual medical checkup, and not to bring colds and flus to work - but to

take a few days sick leave to get over them.

Accident prevention is high on Alpha Zone’s list of priorities with safety notices warning

employees of the dangers of not following safety procedures. Of course, there are no

industrial hazards at Alpha Zone, and the biggest dangers are from stress, incorrect sitting

postures, objects left lying in the middle of the floor, and fire. But with fire alarms and fire

extinguishers on every floor and corridor, plus fire drills every 6 months, Alpha Zone is

prepared for the worst.

___________________________________________

Working Environment Survey - Please complete this questionnaire:

1) Objects lying in the middle of the floor - Yes/No

2) Wet floors - Yes/No

3) Missing safety guards on machines - Yes/No or N/A*

4) Objects stacked dangerously - Yes/No

5) Fire extinguishers rarely inspected - Yes/No

6) Fire doors blocked - Yes/No

7) Poor lighting - Yes/No

8) Protective clothing worn - Yes/No or N/A*

9) Vehicles (lorries, vans, fork-lift trucks) on pedestrian only zones - Yes/NO or N/A

10) Toxic chemicals stored/handled incorrectly - Yes/No or N/A

N/A - Not Applicable

How many times in the last year have you, plus your partner(s)…?

tripped over s.th

slipped on s.th

banged your head (s)

been struck by s.th

received an electric shock

been burnt

been cut

shut a hand in a door

had a minor injury

had a major injury

received first aid

Health and Safety at Work act 1974

Accident Report Form

Part A (_nj_r_d p_rs_n) Part D (Descript_ion of incident)

F_ll N_m_: Peter Guerney The patient ______ walking ________ the corridor

_ddr_ss: 25 Broadmore Place, Lowford which _______ wet. A ______ of coffee had been

J_b t_tl_: Accountant spilt on the _________ and then mopped ____ by

cleaning staff, _______________ putting up a floor

Part B (_b_ _t the _nc_d_nt) ________________ sign.

D_t_/T_m_ of _nc_d_nt: 17/06/2015 The ________ slipped on the ___ floor and fell down

15.15 pm banging his ______ and spraining his _____. An

Pl_c_ of _nc_d_nt: 3rd floor corridor

ambulance was _________ and the patient

Part C (_b_ _t the _nj_ry): was taken to _____________.

Small bump to the head,

slight concussion

Sprained ankle

Insert

missing

LETTERS

Insert

missing

WORDS

S. The CEO

Before Sheila Walker took on the job of CEO at Alpha Zone she had been a senior manager

at Epsilon, an IT company in the north. But Epsilon hadn’t reacted quickly enough to

competition and had started to struggle. So Sheila Walker accepted an offer to run Alpha

Zone. She moved south with her family to take on the post 5 years ago and has now been in

charge of the company since 2010. Having such an important job hasn’t always been easy

for her, but her family has been very supportive. Now, she is enjoying her life in the south

and she is making Alpha Zone a very successful company. She works hard and finds time to

socialize with friends at the weekend. Next summer she’s going to visit China with her

family. They’re flying with Air China and stopping over in Singapore for two nights. It’ll be

a holiday of a life-time and will be a great experience.

Look at the verbs in bold and draw the time-line of events for Sheila Walker:

Past Present Future

2010 2015 2016

List the verbs:

Past perfect (more past):

Past simple (past):

Present perfect (past - present):

Present simple (general fact):

Present continuous (now):

Present continuous (future plans):

Future ‘going to’ (intention):

Future ‘will’ (sure):

Enter details about your life :

“before…”

More Past :

a)

b)

c)

Past :

a)

b)

c)

Past - - - - - - - - - - - - Present :

a)

b)

c)

Present - now :

a)

b)

c)

Present - general fact :

a)

b)

c)

Future - plans :

a)

b)

c)

Future - sure :

a)

b)

c)

Future - intention :

a)

b)

c)

Write your life story :

Exchange Life stories with a partner

Find three things your stories have in common

T. Recruitment

Bill Brewer, the manager of the HR department, has been asked to recruit someone to help

improve project planning - one of Alpha Zone’s weaknesses. Daniel Whidden and Harry

Hawk in ‘Sales and Marketing’ are finding new clients and the company is growing fast. This

means that the IT staff needs to be more organized to get projects up-and-running and meet

the deadlines. After Bill Brewer advertised for a project coordinator, 20 candidates applied

for the job. He has now reduced this number to a short-list of 4 candidates who he will soon

interview. Look at the notes Bill Brewer has made on the candidates from their C.Vs and

covering letters, and decide who you think in most suited for the job.

_____________________________________________

Eric Filsak

28 years old. Single. Software developer.

Twice founded his own IT companies. Lives

in London. Registered Handicapped.

Cyril Dickens

56 years old. Highly experienced with

extensive management experience.

Last twenty years spent abroad -

working in the U.S. and the Middle

East.

Amanda Bell

32 years old. Single mother. Lives locally.

M.A. Strategic Management and Planning.

5 years logistics experience with ‘Sigma’

before it collapsed.

Gemma Hopkins

25 years old. M.A. Business Systems

analysis. Last two years - voluntary

aid work overseas providing IT support

to NGO charities. Recently returned to

U.K.

Write your own resumé :

Put the job application process below in the correct order:

to accept a job offer 1.

to join a new company 2.

to fill in (an application form) 3.

to hand in one’s notice 4.

to look for a job 5.

to leave/quit/resign from a job 6.

to start work with a new company 7.

to be offered a job/ post 8.

to apply for a job 9.

to be short-listed 10.

to attend an interview 11.

to have an interview 12.

to serve one’s notice 13.

to send off (an application form) 14.

to be invited to an interview 15.

to be hired/ taken on/ employed 16.

Role-play an interview :

Interviewer - ask interviewee about….

- Their background

- Strong and weak points

- Their professional and personal qualities

- What skills, knowledge & experience they can bring to the company

- Why they want the job

- What they learn from previous job

- Why they want to leave present company

- A past situation they managed well/badly… and the outcome

Interviewee - ask interviewer about…

- Employment terms

- Company structure

- Company business

(“always have questions to ask! Show you have done your homework!”)

U. Lunchtime Food

Very few employees eat at the Chinese sea-food restaurant for lunch and the French Café on

Lincoln Rd is becoming too popular at lunchtimes for both the staff of Alpha Zone and

Omega Tech. Next door, the Red Lion pub serves drinks only, but now they see an

opportunity in providing for the growing demand. They recently handed out questionnaires

to their clientele, and passing pedestrians, to determine whether providing food would be

financially viable - and profitable. On an average week day lunch the pub welcomes around

80 clients. A total of 216 questionnaires were filled in. Here are the results of their market

survey:

Market Study Questionnaire: Providing Food for Clients.

What action would you recommend The Red Lion to take?

Decide on the food that you would offer to The Red Lion’s clients.

Decide what you would like to order from the menu below:

Fox and Hounds

Evening set menu

Starters:

Stilton cheese and button mushrooms served on garlic bread with pepper sauce

Cider paté with mustard on organic wholemeal bread with ale chutney

Spicy coated whitebait with tartare sauce

Main Courses:

Gourmet 6oz rump steak burger - with chips, onion rings and burger relish

Fish (cod) and chips - with lemon, ketchup and fresh garden peas

Steak and ale pie - with mashed potato, seasonal vegetables and gravy

Brewer’s chicken topped with grilled bacon and cheddar cheese - with chips and coleslaw.

Shoulder of lamb - with onion, bacon, mushrooms, red wine sauce and roast potatoes

Goat’s cheese and beetroot salad - tossed with chopped walnuts, rocket and balsamic vinegar

Puddings:

Home-baked rhubarb crumble with custard

Hot apple pie with custard or vanilla ice-cream

Chocolate fudge cake with double Devonshire cream

Sticky toffee pudding with custard, whipped cream or ice-cream

Cheesecake - with whipped cream, strawberries and raspberry coulis

Cheese and biscuits - a choice of English cheeses with chutney, cheese biscuits and grapes

V. A Challenge

Friendly rivalry between Omega Tech and Alpha Zone employees has arisen over lunchtime

banter at the French Café and The Red Lion pub. As a result, Alpha Zone challenged Omega

Tech. to a game of five-a-side football. However, the ladies present felt left out in this choice

and suggested, instead, volley ball. Then the idea of paintball was put forward. But again

the women objected saying this was too violent and why not just organize a nice, social,

picnic together and decide who makes the best picnic hamper. Well, the men thought this

rather defeated the point and there was a bit of a stalemate between the genders, until

someone came up with the idea of a darts match in The Red Lion. At present no final

decision has been made. The jury is still out. But what other ideas for a friendly competition

could they have?

Think of three more activities to include in the chart below.

Discuss the pros and cons of each activity.

Enter the number of people in your group who are for/against each activity.

Which activity does the group vote on? __________________________

ACTIVITY For Against

1.Five-a-side football

2.Volleball

3.Paintball

4.Picnic

5.Darts

6.

7.

8.

Your company has decided to send your department on a week’s break. They

are offering you the choice of where you would like to go, stay, and activities.

Make your choice. A group must have unanimous decision:

Plan your week (7 days including travel there and return)

Activity

Kayaking

Quad biking

Scuba-diving

Safari

Parascending

Hot air ballooning

Trekking

Places

Iceland

Switzerland

Morocco

Gualeloupe

Kenya

Nepal

Ireland

Accommodation

Hotel

Tent

Log Cabin

House boat

Castle

Caravan

Farm house

City sight-seeing

Cathedrals & churches

Museums & art galleries

Shops

Forts & castles

Attraction park

Sports stadiums

Distillery/ Brewery

Food

Local traditional food

Strange local delicacies

Take your own country’s food

Picnic

Self-catering

Fast food restaurants

Anything

W. In house magazine - “Read all about it!’

Daniel Whiddon and Harry Hawk, the sales and marketing managers, came up with the idea

of having a monthly ‘In House Magazine’. They thought this would be good for staff ‘team-

building’ and also to let clients have an inside view of the company. So, they invited

employees to submit articles, large or small, about any issues relating to company life and

social lives outside.

Well, it’s been a reasonable success, especially as a bonus was offered for the most interesting

article. The last issue, for example, featured an article about an employee winning a table-

tennis championship, a funny story about daily life in the IT department, a pony-trekking

weekend on the Yorkshire Moors, and the wedding for one of the receptionists. Other

features include a recipe of the month, a crossword, business news, ‘employee of the month’

and an editorial written by Sheila Walker - Alpha Zone’s CEO.

Which of these features would you consider suitable for an ‘In House magazine’?

Company gossip

Company results

Special social events

Local News

Horoscope

Crosswords etc

Cooking

Holiday reminiscences

Cultural comments

Sport

Funny stories & jokes

A day in the life of….

Problems page

Advertising services

Accommodation

Other ?

Put your list here :

- Come up with a new name for your company’s ‘In house magazine’.

- Write a short article to submit to your company’s ‘In House Magazine’.

Write your article here :

Choose 2 articles from your group for publication in this month’s in-house magazine.

X. Disaster Strikes

The building of Alpha Zone was struck by lightning during a heavy storm, which shut

down all the computers and electrical supplies. Unfortunately, this included the lift and three

people were stranded inside for 2 hours until electricians were able to get the electricity

back on. The two servers (main and back-up) automatically switched to the in-house

generator, so no serious damage was done there.

However, torrential rains flooded the ground floor and basement, soaking many hard copy

archives. Thankfully, these archives had all been backed up on digital format. As Sheila

Walker said, ‘Before any crisis happens it’s always important to imagine worse case

scenarios. Then you can be prepared with contingency plans if disaster strikes. You take

control with a cool head, gather information about events, evaluate the situation, and

communicate clearly your plan of action whilst calmly reassuring others that all will be fine.’

________________________________________________

Place in order the following management qualities for dealing with a crisis:

a) Judgement

b) Foresight

c) Mental courage

d) Being cool-headed

e) Experience

f) Being prepared for the worst

g) Being decisive

h) Prioritizing

i) Reassurance

j) Authority

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.

Which of the quotes below best sum up ‘crisis-handling’?

_________________________________________________________

Catastrophy !

At your food processing company, the computers have all crashed. This is terrible news because supermarkets are desperately waiting for deliveries, and your lorry drivers are impatient to leave, but they need the correct documents! But that is not all: Heavy rain is leaking into the production area and lightning has set off the fire alarms. Then, to top it all, external auditors have just arrived. This is all too much stress for the production manager who seems to have suffered a heart attack! Decide how you would deal with this crisis.

Y. PC Image

Alpha Zone is keen to present itself to clients as a professional company as well as a

company which is concerned about the environment and humanity. For this reason, Alpha

Zone adheres to ecologically-friendly practices and sponsors a couple of small charitable

projects in the third-world.

For example: Recycling and reducing energy consumption are central to Alpha Zone’s green

ethic, plus a small percentage of annual profits go towards helping a village in Cameroon

where a new school is needed, and a village in Cambodia where money is needed to dig a

new well in order to create a supply of clean water.

________________________________________________

Reducing our carbon footprint.

Place in order or priority.

Cycling instead of using the car

Taking the train instead of the plane

Using nuclear energy instead of fossil fuels

Using renewable energy (solar, wind etc.)

Recycling waste

Turning off lights

___________________________

Which strategy is the easiest to do?

Which strategy is the most expensive?

Which strategy is the most environmental?

Humanitarian Aid.

Place in order of priority:

Providing clean drinking water

Providing health care

Providing food and shelter to refugees

Providing education

Providing agricultural tools

Providing finance

___________________________

Which provision is the easiest to give?

Which provision is the cheapest to give?

Which provision has the greatest effect?

Choose a humanitarian aid program to sponsor:

Prepare to convince your boss to invest some of the company’s profits

in the humanitarian aid program of your choice.

Choose a slogan for your company website:

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” “Committed to Corporate Social Responsibility”. “Make it green, keep it clean” “Hug a tree “ “Don’t trash our future.” “We care” “We have a dream, and it is green” “A company’s true value is the good it does in the world”

Can you think of a new slogan for your company?

B. This charity is involved with

helping poor families in your own

country. Poverty, bad nutrition, and

poor housing are experienced in our

cities by struggling families and are

responsible for many social

problems. Charity begins at home!

A: This global campaign helps

refugees uprooted by war and natural

disaster by providing food, clothing

and shelter; fighting against disease,

and helping people regain control of

their own lives.

C. This program gives hope for

children in Africa who are enslaved,

abducted, abused, and forced into

being child soldiers and prostitutes.

The program gives children a safe

place to grow, learn… and be

children.

D. This charity has been recently

created to provide assistance to a

specific community badly hit by a

recent earthquake resulting in the

loss of many lives, orphaned

children and damage to the social

infrastructure.

Z. Office Party

At the end of the year, just before Christmas, most companies in Britain have an office party.

Alpha Zone is no exception. This is a semi-informal affair to congratulate each other on work

and achievements of the year. Champagne bottles are opened, chocolates and cakes are

passed round, ties are loosened, jokes and anecdotes are told, presents are given, backs are

patted, kisses are exchanged … and a speech from Sheila Walker, the CEO, is given.

Usually, at Alpha Zone, the office Christmas party is finished by 8 pm. Then several of the

staff call into the Red Lion pub for a last celebratory drink before going home. Here, also in

the spirit of Christmas, a decorated Christmas tree stands in the corner of the bar, garlands

stretch across the ceiling and mistletoe hangs above the entrance door. And, on the juke box

Christmas carols help create a happy festive atmosphere for the pub.

We Wish you a Merry Christmas!

- Do you know any office party games?

- How does your company celebrate Christmas?

Last Exercise - Look back through the texts (A-Z) and try and find the terms in the

box below (all in bold in the texts):

Goodbye from all at Alpha Zone!

Expression

Letter

Expression

Letter

Expression

Letter

Keep an eye on

A side line

First name terms

Dig

Lift

Cheer up

Sick leave

Stranded

Call into

Put through

Shifts

Glass ceiling

Rivalry

Come up with

Hidden

Branched out

Profitable

k

Trustworthy

Stretch

Soaking

Multi-story car

park

Under the

spotlight

Pull together

loosened

Deal with

Huge

Get together

Delightful

Took on

Laid off

Commuter belt

Upward mobility

Keen

Striking

Outskirts

Wedding

Short list

Hanging

Sick leave

Up-and-running

Tuck in

Lighting up

Team building

Felt left out

Market survey

patted

Slight

Stopping over

Raise

Hidden