ⅴ、BEC2 Time
. Preliminary Vantage Advanced
Reading 1 hr 30 mins ﹡ 1 hr 1 hr
Writing 45 mins 1 hr 10 mins
Listening 40 mins 40 mins 40 mins
Speaking
( 2 candidates) 12 mins ﹡﹡ 14 mins ﹡﹡ 16 mins ﹡﹡

ⅵ、BEC2 Grades
　　* one overall grade
　　* each skill counts for 25%
　　* candidates also receive profile of performance
　　* Preliminary: two pass grades
　　* Vantage and Advance: three pass grades

ⅶ、Introduction to BP Preparation Resource
　　* vocabulary
　　* textbook
《Pass Cambridge Vantage》
Teamwork, Entertaining a client, Brand power, New premises, Health and safety, Business travel, Marketing disasters, Going global是BV常考的商务专题。下面以Brand power举例说明：
1． 掌握商务词汇短语
E.g. to buy/develop/launch/sell/test/own/stretch/damage a brand
E.g. brand image/leader/loyalty/name/power/stretching
2． 掌握相关商务知识
E.g. Explain why you brought one of the products.
strong sense of brand loyalty
reasonable price
good after-sales service
reliability of the product
good and consistent quality
user-friendly design
good value for money
in style

3． 掌握相关背景知识
Tesco, J Sainsbury, Asda
《Working in English》
　　* mock exam papers: 9 sets

ⅷ、Register for BV
www.neea.edu.cn

ⅸ、Business Research
Answering business studies question
Business Studies is a skills based subject which tests students’ ability to use their knowledge. There are four basic skills:
Level One Description/Identification
Level Two　　 Explanation
Level Three 　 　Analysis
Level Four 　 　Evaluation
To gain the highest grades, candidates must show evidence of the higher skills

Key types of questions 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 Responses should:
Identify/state/describe.. 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 make a point
Explain/outline… 　　 　　 　 　　 　　 　　 make a point and develop it
Discuss… 　　 　　 　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　present two sides of the debate
Examine/assess/analyse.. 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 make a point and develop fully with some question of it
Critically assess/to what extent… 　　 　　 　　 explain both sides and evaluate

How to answer questions
Example question:
What determines the price of a product?
Example answer:
● The price of a product is influenced by the costs. 1
● This is because firms have to charge a price which is greater than costs to make a profit. 2
● However in the short run a firm may sell a product at a loss. This may be to gain market share or because the product is still at the introduction phase and has high research and launch costs. 3
● Overall it depends on whether we are considering a short or long term pricing policy. Firms may be willing to make a loss in the short run. It will also depend on the objectives of the firm. Some public sector organisations, e.g. may simply try to cover costs.

　　Example
　　Question: Should firms train their employees?
　　Answer:
　　By training their employees firms may be able to increase their profits BECAUSE trained staff are likely to be more productive and make les mistakes. Employees might also be more motivated BECAUSE they might be able to undertake more interesting work and BECAUSE managers are showing that they value their staff (which can satisfy their esteem needs). HOWEVER training costs money and is not always successful. It can also lead to a loss of production while staff are being trained. OVERALL, management will have to weigh up the potential benefits against the costs. If, for example, the firm has the necessary resources, the training is relatively cheap and is likely to lead to significant increases in productivity and profitability the firm likely to invest in it. If, ON THE OTHER HAND, the firm lacks the necessary finance and staff already have the skills required then training is LESS LIKELY.