Part Ⅰ General Knowledge 2
1 What Is Business English？ 2
1.1 Definition of Business English 2
1.2 Business English and BEC 3
1.3 Importance of Business English 6
2 International Trade 8
2.1 What Is International Trade？ 8
2.2 International Trade and International Business 13
3 E-Commerce 15
3.1 Definition 15
3.2 E-Commerce and E-Business 18
3.3 Classifications 20
3.4 E-Commerce Application 21
Part Ⅱ Establishing Business Relations 26
4 Business E-mail Writing 26
4.1 Introduction 26
4.2 Constituent Parts 28
4.3 Business E-mail Styles 44
4.4 Writing Principles 49
5 Means to Establish Business Relations 56
5.1 Introduction 56
5.2 B2B Websites 57
5.3 Trade Fairs 62
5.4 China's Embassy 65
5.5 Business Connections 67
5.6 Advertisements in Media 68
Part Ⅲ Process of International Trade 72
6 Inquiry 72
6.1 Introduction 72
6.2 Specimen Inquiries 73
6.3 Strategies for Reply 82
6.4 Phishing Inquiries 86
6.5 How to Identify Phishing Inquiries 89
7 Offer 91
7.1 Introduction 91
7.2 Price Terms 92
7.3 Price-list and Catalog 99
7.4 Samples 103
7.5 FCO and Firm Offer 104
7.6 Strategies for Offer 114
8 Counter-Offer 117
8.1 Introduction 117
8.2 What Is a Counter-Offer？ 117
8.3 How to Handle a Counter-Offer 121
9 Order Confirmation 123
9.1 Introduction 123
9.2 Proforma Invoice 125
9.3 Purchase Order 128
10 Business Contract 133
10.1 Introduction 133
10.2 Contract Set-up 134
10.3 Contract Language 140
10.4 Sign and Counter-Sign 144
10.5 Specimen Contracts 145
11 Payment 162
11.1 Introduction 162
11.2 Payment Terms 162
11.3 Means of Payment 171
11.4 Performance Bond 176
12 Commodity Inspection 180
12.1 Introduction 180
12.2 The Role of Inspection 181
12.3 Inspection Agency 182
12.4 Time and Place for Inspection 183
12.5 Inspection Certificates 184
13 Shipping 186
13.1 Introduction 186
13.2 International Express 186
13.3 Air Shipping 189
13.4 Ocean Shipping 191
13.5 Railway Shipping 195
13.6 Land Shipping 196
13.7 Freight Charge 196
13.8 Shipping Marks 197
14 Insurance 200
14.1 Introduction 200
14.2 Insurance Charge Calculation 200
14.3 Insurance Coverage 202
15 Claim 208
15.1 Introduction 208
15.2 What Is a Claim？ 208
15.3 Structure of a Claim 209
15.4 Principles of Lodging a Claim 211
Part Ⅳ Practical Business Writings 214
16 Business Memo 214
16.1 Introduction 214
16.2 What Is a Memo？ 214
16.3 Structure of a Bussiness Memo 215
17 Business Notice 217
17.1 Introduction 217
17.2 How to Write a Notice 217
18 Business Report 219
Appendices 222
Appendix 1 Customary Expressions for Job Titles 222
Appendix 2 Words and Expressions Used for Packing 233
Appendix 3 Uniform Customs＆Practice for Documentary Credits 250
Appendix 4 Abbreviations in Business English 282
Bibliography 305