STEP 1

In this first step, you will read carefully the presentation of this unit (phrasal verbs have been highlighted in yellow). A full glossary below will help you understand it better. To get information in Spanish, just place the arrow of your mouse on any highlighted word without clicking.

In this episode, the Managing Director, Hector Grant, has to make a decision about allowing his young Sales Manager, John Martin, to go on a very expensive fact-finding tour of a country in Africa called Habraka.
First we hear John Martin discussing with Peter Wiles, the Production Manager, an article he has just read in The Times newspaper about the recent discovery of oil in Habraka. He thinks that the firm should find out whether it would be possible to export to Habraka, and in particular to the capital city, Djemsa, where a lot of new government offices are shortly to be built. He wants to go there at once and try to open up a new market.
Hector Grant remembers a disastrous attempt a few months ago to export to a country in South America when the firm lost a lot of money. He is inclined to be cautious, a bit worried about the difficulties involved, and the expense.
So we discover some of the points which have to be considered by a firm wishing to export.

GLOSSARY:
to go on: to make, to begin (emprender, iniciar);
fact-finding: investigative; designed to find information or discover facts with certainty (analítico, de investigación);
tour: a journey, usually for business purposes, during which several or many places are visited (gira o viaje de negocios);
to find out: to search, to investigate (analizar, investigar);
shortly: very soon (en breve, dentro de poco tiempo más);
to open up a new market: to develop a new market, start up a market (market: an area where goods can be sold) (iniciar, abrir un negocio o mercado);
cautious: taking care, showing caution (precavido, cuidadoso).