Unit 8: FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION

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Aims and Objectives

In this unit you will learn and practise vocabulary related to financial administration.

You will practise the following skills and functions:

  • reading for information
  • writing an e-mail

The grammar of this unit includes:

  • Classification of ...ing forms
  • Prepositions

Financial Administration

Exercise 1: True/False Statements

For each of the statements below, choose True or False.

Read the following text:

'I want to work in finance.' As a statement of intent this might impress your grandmother, but for a career in finance you need to ask yourself some pertinent questions: What kind of skills and attributes do I have? Am I analytical and thoughtful, or an ambitious risk-taker? Lifestyle issues are important too. Are you prepared to move away from home, or give up your social life for your career? Are you ready to take further exams? Not every area of finance involves working 90-hour weeks while studying for professional qualifications - but some do. You also need to be more specific about what area of finance you want to work in. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round, and the world of money is extraordinarily complex and covers a vast area of different yet complementary services. What does an investment banker do? What is private banking? What sort of people work in the stock exchange? What is the difference between bookkeeping, accounting and auditing?

  1. A decision to make a career in finance requires careful thought.


    ?
  2. There are very great differences from one area of the finance industry to another.


    ?
  3. Your choice of one area of finance or another does not depend on your personliaty.


    ?
  4. Everybody in the finance industry works a 90-hour week.


    ?
  5. You need to think about where and how you would like to live.


    ?

Exercise 2: Gap Filling

When Emma Chizzit said she wanted to work in finance, her grandmother was not very impressed, and asked her some questions. Fill in the gaps in the questions that Emma's grandmother asked her:

  1. Do you think you've got the skills and ____ you would need?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  2. Do you think you'd like that sort of ____ ?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  3. You'd have to take a lot of exams, ____ you?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  4. You wouldn't be able to stay here in the village, ____ you?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  5. What area of finance ____ you rather work in?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  6. An investment bank is what the British call a merchant bank, ____ it?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  7. They're the banks that provide finance for industry and trade, ____ they?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  8. The ____ exchange is where people buy and sell shares, isn't it?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  9. Bookkeeping and accounting are the same thing, ____ they?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  10. Well, they say that money makes the world go round, ____ they?
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?

Exercise 3: Listening

Now listen and repeat in the spaces provided:

Recording:

Emma Chizzit didn't know if she was ambitious or not, so she did some personality tests like this one, in which she was asked whether she strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed or strongly disagreed with the following statements:

  1. The best things in life are free.
  2. It is important to be a winner.
  3. A high salary is an indicator of success.
  4. It's better to compete with a friend for promotion than worry about

your friendship.

  1. It is vital to have a plan for the development of your career.
  2. There's nothing wrong with taking a day off work if the weather's nice.
  3. Money is the root of all evil.
  4. Money can buy you happiness.
  5. Madonna is somebody to admire more than Mahatma Gandhi.
  6. It is more important for people to regard you with affection rather than

with respect.

Exercise 5: Exposed Cloze

Use the correct word or expression from the list below to fill in the gaps in the sentences.

  • above
  • ahead
  • below
  • likely
  • mission
  • quite
  • score
  • scored
  • serves
  • sorts
Transcript:

Emma Chizzit scored 18 on the test, so she decided she would study to be an accountant. What about you? What do you think your score would be? Here are the explanations of the scores:

  • If you scored below 20, you have no idea what ambition means. You will

have an inconsistent career and probably do all sorts of different jobs during your working life. You value things other than money, but should remember that money also serves a purpose in life.

  • From 21 to 63, you are quite keen on your career but by no means obsessed

with it. You want to do well, but think there is more to life than getting ahead . Your life is well balanced and your time management is usually good. You have realised that a satisfying personal life makes it easier for you to remain focused on your work.

  • If you scored 64 or above, ambition is clearly of the greatest importance

to you. You are the sort of person who will succeed at all costs! You may find that other areas of your life are empty, but you will always feel that you have carried out your mission to succeed. Relationships are likely to suffer, as work always comes first. Remember that being a good parent or spouse cannot be measured in terms of money.

Emma Chizzit ? 18 on the test, so she decided she would study to be an accountant. What about you? What do you think your ? would be? Here are the explanations of the scores:

  • If you scored ? 20, you have no idea what ambition means. You will

have an inconsistent career and probably do all ? of different jobs during your working life. You value things other than money, but should remember that money also ? a purpose in life.

  • From 21 to 63, you are ? keen on your career but by no means obsessed

with it. You want to do well, but think there is more to life than getting ? . Your life is well balanced and your time management is usually good. You have realised that a satisfying personal life makes it easier for you to remain focused on your work.

  • If you scored 64 or ?, ambition is clearly of the greatest importance

to you. You are the sort of person who will succeed at all costs! You may find that other areas of your life are empty, but you will always feel that you have carried out your ? to succeed. Relationships are ? to suffer, as work always comes first. Remember that being a good parent or spouse cannot be measured in terms of money.

Exercise 6: Cloze

Fill in the gaps in the text below. For each gap there is only one correct answer.

Read the following text:

Although some languages use the same expression for both bookkeeping and accounting and although systems may vary from one country to another, there are certain basic principles. In most business transactions, the seller of goods or services sends the buyer a bill or invoice, and later a receipt acknowledging payment. In English, the word 'bookkeeper' is used for the person who uses a double-entry system to record payments received (credits) and payments made (debits) in a temporary book or journal. The bookkeeper must also keep the original documents in an orderly file. The information from the journal is entered later in the relevant account book, or ledger. From time to time the bookkeeper does a trial balance to test whether the credit and debit sides of an account match. Of course nowadays the 'books' are usually files in a computer program, and the trial balance is a function that the program will perform automatically on demand. An accountant, unlike the bookkeeper, analyses financial records, and decides how to present them to managers, tax inspectors, shareholders or auditors. An auditor is an independent qualified person who carries out an official examination of an organisation's accounts.

Transcript:

An invoice is another word for a bill.

To show that somebody has paid you, you give them a receipt.

Payments received are called credits.

Payments made are called debits.

The journal is a book in which temporary records are made.

A permanent account book is called a ledger.

Original invoices, receipts and other documents should be kept in a file.

The bookkeeper is the person who records and files information.

The accountant is the person who analyses financial records.

An auditor is somebody who examines the work of the accountant.

  1. An is another word for a bill.
    ?
  2. To show that somebody has paid you, you give them a .
    ?
  3. Payments received are called .
    ?
  4. Payments made are called .
    ?
  5. The is a book in which temporary records are made.
    ?
  6. A permanent account book is called a .
    ?
  7. Original invoices, receipts and other documents should be kept in a .
    ?
  8. The is the person who records and files information.
    ?
  9. The is the person who analyses financial records.
    ?
  10. An is somebody who examines the work of the accountant.
    ?

Exercise 7: True/False Statements

For each of the statements below, choose True or False.

Read the following text:

Prudence Tuffy and Kenny Cookham have met at a cocktail party. Kenny thinks Prudence is rather attractive and wants to impress her.

PrudenceSo you're an accountant? Does that mean you spend your time filing invoices and receipts and putting information into a computer all day? That can't be very exciting!
KennyWell no. That's what bookkeepers do. It's not quite the same thing.
PrudenceSo what do you do?
KennyI'm a managerial accountant. That means I have to work out cash-flow, and the value of assets and liabilities, and calculate profits and losses and so on. My job really is to analyse the figures and supply the managers with information.
PrudenceWhat sort of information?
KennyWell, they need financial statements, budgets, cash-flow projections and so on, so they can measure the success of what they do. And of course decide how much tax they plan to pay.
PrudenceThat sounds interesting!
KennyAha! Now you're going to ask me to tell you how to pay less tax.
PrudenceNot at all. As a matter of fact I'm a tax inspector. What company did you say you work for?
  1. Prudence is an accountant.


    ?
  2. Kenny spends all day putting information into a computer.


    ?
  3. Kenny analyses the accounts for the managers.


    ?
  4. Managers need financial information so they can plan company strategy.


    ?
  5. Prudence wants to know how to pay less tax.


    ?
  6. She wants to know what company Kenny works for.


    ?
  7. Kenny didn’t tell her what company he works for.


    ?
  8. Prudence is impressed.


    ?

Exercise 8: Listening

Now listen to the recording of the conversation in the previous exercise:

Recording:

Exercise 9: Multiple Choice Questions

Test your knowledge of accounting. Choose the best answer to complete these definitions:

  1. Anything of value owned by a person or business that can be used to produce goods or pay debts.
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  2. Money that a company owes to someone else, for example debts, taxes, bills, interest payments.
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  3. A bill sent by the seller to the buyer giving details of the goods or services sold
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  4. A document showing that money has been paid or goods have been received.
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  5. A final entry account book.
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  6. A plan showing probable future income (money coming in) and expenditure (money going out)
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  7. A document that shows the financial situation, e.g. a balance sheet, a profit and loss account
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  8. The amount of money made by a business during a specified period which it can use to invest.
    a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?

Exercise 10: Cloze

Fill in the gaps in the text below. For each gap there is only one correct answer.

Transcript:

If you are blind or have low vision and set up your own small business, traditional ledgers and journals are not an option, and special large print versions can be expensive. The spreadsheets that come with popular office software packages can be sufficient if you set up the spreadsheets to do calculations properly, but there are also numerous accessible accounting software packages. It is of course vital to keep invoices, correspondence, receipts, bills and bank account information, and it is quite easy to organise your filing system well so that you can lay hands on any one item if necessary. Mark every receipt, bill, invoice or other business-related item with a large print, Braille or recorded note with the date, amount, nature and source of the transaction. Decide how you will organize your papers: by month, by category, by client etc., and use large print and/or Braille to label each compartment of the file.

If you are blind or ? low vision and set up your own small business, traditional ledgers and journals are not ? option, and special large print versions can be expensive. The spreadsheets that come with popular office software packages can ? sufficient if ? set up the spreadsheets to do calculations properly, but there ? also numerous accessible accounting software packages. It is ? course vital to keep invoices, correspondence, receipts, bills and bank account information, and it is quite easy to organise your filing system well so that you can lay hands ? any one item if necessary. Mark every receipt, bill, invoice or other business-related item with a ? print, Braille or recorded note with ? date, amount, nature and source of the transaction. Decide how you will organize your papers: ? month, by category, by client etc., and use large print and/or Braille to label each compartment of the file.

Exercise 11: Selections

Chose the correct answer.

Read the following text:

Assets are of many kinds but the first distinction to be made is between fixed assets and liquid assets. Fixed assets, also called capital or permanent assets, are possessions such as land, buildings or machinery which cannot be sold because they are needed for making the firm's products. Liquid or available assets are cash or anything which can quickly be turned into cash. Buildings, machinery and equipment gradually lose value, i.e. they depreciate, because they wear out or become obsolete, and have to be replaced. The cost of buying or replacing fixed assets that will have a useful life of several years is not charged against a single year's profits but is included as an expense in the company's accounts over a number of years. This process is called depreciation, although the word 'amortization' is sometimes used in the U.S. There are various depreciation methods, but the most usual one simply divides the total expected cost by the number of years of expected life, and charges an equal sum each year.

  1. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  2. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  3. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  4. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  5. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?

People are always asking Kenny Cookham, the managerial accountant, questions about credit control, cash-flow and so on. Read this summary of a presentation he gave on the subject.

A company with more debts than money to pay them, or in other words more liabilities than assets, is insolvent and if a creditor takes the matter to court the company may be declared bankrupt. This situation can arise even if the company has wonderful sales figures. How is this possible? Some people say that it is not money that makes the world go round, but credit. Getting orders is tough enough, but getting paid can be even tougher. If the company's cash is tied up in stocks of materials and credit to customers it may not have enough cash to pay short-term expenses. It has a cash-flow problem. Managerial accountants and financial directors know that what distinguishes an efficiently managed business from a poorly managed one is the way it controls credit and manages cash-flow, in other words the skill with which a company can make its creditors wait and put pressure on its debtors. So how can credit be controlled, and the risk of bad debt be minimised? The ideal solution would be to make the customer pay up front, but the goodwill of your customers is vital to securing their business in the future. Charge interest on outstanding debts and again you risk alienating your customers. Debts do of course show up in a company's assets, but it is hard cash, not promises to pay, that finances new projects. Promises are often forgotten, and creditors have better memories than debtors.

Exercise 13: Listening

Now listen to the recording of the text of the previous exercise:

Recording:

Exercise 14: Selections

Here are some of the questions that Kenny was trying to answer. Choose the correct question in each case, A or B:

  1. a. 
    b. 
    ?
  2. a. 
    b. 
    ?
  3. a. 
    b. 
    ?
  4. a. 
    b. 
    ?
  5. a. 
    b. 
    ?

Exercise 15: Selections

Now choose the best answer:

  1. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  2. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  3. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  4. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?
  5. a. 
    b. 
    c. 
    ?

Exercise 16: Exposed Cloze

Choose the correct word or expression to complete the sentences below:

  • charge
  • court
  • figures
  • goodwill
  • pressure
  • short-term
  • tied up
  • tough
Transcript:

What were our sales like last month? Have you got the figures ?

We have too much money tied up in stocks. We need to cut down on our inventory.

Their lawyers advised them to take the other company to court .

Getting orders is tough enough, but getting paid is even tougher.

If we put too much pressure on them to pay they might turn to a different supplier.

How much interest did they charge you?

It's not short-term solutions we need, it's a long-term strategy.

Be careful what you say when you ring about payment. We don't want to lose their goodwill .

  1. What were our sales like last month? Have you got the ?
    ?
  2. We have too much money in stocks. We need to cut down on our inventory.
    ?
  3. Their lawyers advised them to take the other company to .
    ?
  4. Getting orders is enough, but getting paid is even tougher.
    ?
  5. If we put too much on them to pay they might turn to a different supplier.
    ?
  6. How much interest did they you?
    ?
  7. It's not solutions we need, it's a long-term strategy.
    ?
  8. Be careful what you say when you ring about payment. We don't want to lose their .
    ?

Exercise 17: Listening

Now listen and repeat in the spaces provided:

Recording:

Exercise 18: True/False Statements

For each of the statements below, choose True or False.

Emma Chizzit, you remember, had decided to study to be an accountant, so she looked for information about university courses on internet. Read this information from a university website, and answer the questions below:

You do not need to have studied accounting in the past to join this course but you will need to have an interest in the subject, and a passion to work with numbers. Your first year will give you a firm foundation in maths and statistics, financial and management accounting, business law and economics. In the second year, you'll choose options from a wide selection including financial and management accounting, mathematical applications, planning and finance, marketing, taxation, economics, law, quantitative methods and international accounting. Before your final year we encourage you to spend an optional sandwich year in industry doing an industrial placement. Work experience will help you get a job later and many of our placement students go on to work full time for their placement employer after graduation. Financial accounting and strategic management will form part of your final year, with options that include business finance, company law and international financial management.

  1. A sandwich year is an extra year in the middle of the course.


    ?
  2. If you do a sandwich year the whole course would take you three years.


    ?
  3. You need to know something about accounting before you start the course.


    ?
  4. You must be interested in numbers, maths, statistics and so on.


    ?
  5. If you do a work placement you will definitely get a job afterwards.


    ?

Emma Chizzit decided that the personality test she had done – to find out whether she was ambitious or not – was not very convincing. She began to have second thoughts about accounting and read this article about private banking. Read the article:

If you have always wanted to spend time with the rich and famous, private banking could be a good place to work. It is a job for the discreet. Private bankers exist to help very rich people manage their money in private, far away from the gossip columnists and paparazzi. The clients can be company chief executives, property tycoons, footballers, pop stars, or the children of recently deceased billionaires. They all have one thing in common: they are rich beyond most people's wildest dreams. Private banks typically look for clients with at least $1 million to invest, but many private bankers only deal with clients whose financial assets are worth more than $30 million. The banking needs of these clients are, understandably, more complex than those of people with a salary and a mortgage or other debts to pay off. It is up to the private banker to devise a strategy that will help these rich clients to remain rich, by avoiding risks that might reduce the value of their assets, and by taking risks that might make them richer still. If there is a housing market crash or the stock markets plummet, multi-millionaires do not want to see their wealth wiped out.

Exercise 20: Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct explanation, A or B, of the word or expression given:

  1. GOSSIP COLUMNIST
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  2. PAPARAZZI
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  3. POP STAR
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  4. DECEASED
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  5. MORTGAGE
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  6. TO PAY OFF
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  7. TO DEVISE
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  8. TO PLUMMET
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  9. WEALTH
    a. 
    b. 
    ?
  10. TO WIPE OUT
    a. 
    b. 
    ?

Exercise 21: Exposed Cloze

Emma rather liked the idea of working with pop stars and famous footballers, so she talked to her grandmother about other kinds of work in finance. Fill in the gaps in their conversation with one of these words:

  • account
  • after
  • but
  • else
  • exciting
  • having
  • mind
  • root
  • settle
  • steady
Transcript:
GrannyI thought you told me you'd already made up your mind to do

accountancy. :Emma: I don't know. There are all kinds of other work in finance and I'm not sure accounting would be too exciting . :Granny: Exciting? What you need is a good steady job and a good steady boyfriend, my girl. Take my word for it. Do your accounting course then find a good job round here instead of traipsing off to the big city. And here's your cup of tea. :Emma: Oh, thanks. But Granny, there's more to life than getting married and having babies. And I want to see a bit of the world before I settle down. I've been thinking about private banking ... :Granny: Private banking? What the devil is that? Setting up your own bank? :Emma: Of course not, Granny. It means looking after the money of important people, you know, wealthy people. :Granny: Oh, you mean politicians and people like that. :Emma: Well yes, I suppose so, but mainly pop stars and footballers too. :Granny: You think they're important? You want to forget about those people. Nothing but trouble. :Emma: But Granny, they're rich, and famous. :Granny: And why can't they go to an ordinary bank, like everyone else ? :Emma: Because they're different. When you've got millions and millions you don't just put it in a savings account in the local bank. It's very complicated, and they need people who know what they're doing to look after it. :Granny: Oh dear, what's the world coming to? I'm sure I don't know. But I do know that money can't buy you happiness. Money is the root of all evil. Take my word for it. Here, have another cup of tea.

GrannyI thought you told me you'd already made up your ? to do

accountancy. :Emma: I don't know. There are all kinds of other work in finance and I'm not sure accounting would be too ? . :Granny: Exciting? What you need is a good steady job and a good ? boyfriend, my girl. Take my word for it. Do your accounting course then find a good job round here instead of traipsing off to the big city. And here's your cup of tea. :Emma: Oh, thanks. But Granny, there's more to life than getting married and ? babies. And I want to see a bit of the world before I ? down. I've been thinking about private banking ... :Granny: Private banking? What the devil is that? Setting up your own bank? :Emma: Of course not, Granny. It means looking ? the money of important people, you know, wealthy people. :Granny: Oh, you mean politicians and people like that. :Emma: Well yes, I suppose so, but mainly pop stars and footballers too. :Granny: You think they're important? You want to forget about those people. Nothing ? trouble. :Emma: But Granny, they're rich, and famous. :Granny: And why can't they go to an ordinary bank, like everyone ? ? :Emma: Because they're different. When you've got millions and millions you don't just put it in a savings ? in the local bank. It's very complicated, and they need people who know what they're doing to look after it. :Granny: Oh dear, what's the world coming to? I'm sure I don't know. But I do know that money can't buy you happiness. Money is the ? of all evil. Take my word for it. Here, have another cup of tea.

Exercise 22: Listening

Now listen to the recording of the conversation in the previous exercise:

Recording:

Exercise 23: Cloze

After talking to her grandmother, Emma sent an email to a friend of hers called Willy Cookham. Willy was doing a work placement while studying to be a managerial accountant like his dad Kenny. Emma asked him if he knew how to get into private banking. Here is Willy’s reply. Fill in the gaps:

Transcript:

Hi Emma,

How's life? I hope everything's OK back home. Me? I'm having a pretty good time here in Dorkchester. The work is really interesting and I'm learning a lot. There isn't much social life though. Haven't met any pretty girls yet!

I rang my dad about private banking and asked the financial director in the company where I'm working too. They also said more or less the same thing – forget it. It's very hard to get into. Private banks prefer to recruit people with lots of experience in financial management, accounting, or tax law, and with lots of social contacts. Apparently it is changing a bit and some banks are beginning to train graduates to join their wealth management and business banking divisions. Your best bet is to do a degree in Accounting and Business like me and take the options you prefer.

Anyway, got to get back to work now I suppose.

Keep in touch. Maybe we can meet up and go for a few drinks when I come home on holidays?

Take care,

Willy

PS - Forgot to tell you - my parents are getting divorced. My dad apparently has got himself a new girlfriend - some tax inspector woman called Prudence.

Hi Emma,

How's life? I hope everything's OK back home. Me? I'm ? a pretty good time here in Dorkchester. The work is really interesting and I'm learning a lot. There isn't much social life though. Haven't met any pretty girls yet!

I rang my dad about private banking and asked the financial director in the company ? I'm working too. They ? said more or less the same thing – forget it. It's very hard to get ?. Private banks prefer to recruit people with lots of experience in financial management, accounting, or tax law, and with lots of social contacts. Apparently it is changing a bit and some banks are beginning to train graduates to join their wealth management and business banking divisions. Your ? bet is to do a degree ? Accounting and Business ? me and take the options you prefer.

Anyway, got to get ? to work now I suppose.

Keep in touch. Maybe we can meet up and go for a few drinks when I come home on holidays?

Take ?,

Willy

PS - Forgot to tell you - my parents are getting divorced. My dad apparently has got himself a new girlfriend - some tax inspector woman ? Prudence.

Checklist

Use the following list to check whether you have obtained full benefit from this unit. You should have more confidence in:

  • reading comprehension
  • preparing an e-mail

You should also have greater skill and confidence in the use of:

  • Specialist lexis
  • Prepositions
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