Unit 1Business Relations本单元结合国际经贸业务中的典型工作流程、工作场景，概述国际贸易中建立业务联系之后的一个重要环节——“背景调查”：●背景调查综述：介绍背景调查在国际贸易业务中的重要地位，以及调查所需要涉及的主要昂面和方法（Reading A），为进行实际调查工作提供方法指导；●布置调查任务：在建立业务联系之后，公司领导委托下属对潜在合作方进行调查（Listening & Speaking & Writing），学习如何以书面和口头形式布置工作任务；●搜集相关信息：下属通过各种方式了解前爱合作方信息，并在其过程中与相关人员进行讨论(Listening & Speaking)，以熟悉背景调查报告所设计的主要内容和方法；●形成报告：提供报告的样本(Reading B & Writing)，熟悉报告的各项内容。

Unit ObjectivesAfter studying this unit, you are able to:●Understand what a business background report covers●Know how to conduct a business background report●Make phone calls for information regarding business background check●Write and answer emails for back ground information1.Warming-upTask 1Talk about what aspects should be covered in the business background check.Task 2Discuss with your classmates to arrange the above aspects in the order of priority.2.Reading ABackground InformationAbusiness background checkis a process that allowspotential customers,investors, and partners to become acquainted with pertinent information about thehistory of the company. At the same time, running a background check on a corporation will reveal or verify data about the current status of the business. This data includes financial data that would be important to know before investing in the company or entering into a partnership with the corporation.Conducting a business background check involves looking into a number ofdifferent types of public records in order to get a true picture of the history and present status of the company.Task 1Before reading the passage, see how much you know about business background check by answering the following questions.1. Why do companies need to conduct business background checks?Just as you don’t want to make friends with peo ple who might fool you, you want to enter into business with partners whom you can rely on. Business world is more complicated than personal life. There are news and stories widely spread that how a company has been framed by its partners and the consequence can be fatal. As a result, one must be careful about whom to cooperate with and be sure that the company is reliable. The most common way to do so is to conduct a business background check.2. What do you think is the most important part of a business background check?W ell, that is not an easy question. If I have to choose which part is the most important, I would like to choose “criminal records”. Nobody likes to do business with a company that has been sued many times or has been involved in business criminals. It is just too dangerous. Dealing with a small company or company with ill reference, one might run into the risk of poor goods or service quality, while working with a big company with criminal records, one might be dragged into lawsuits or put into prison.TextHow to Conduct Business Background ChecksThere are more and more news stories about companies that defraud investors of millions of dollars. Therefore, it is important to be certain that the company you are intending to establish a relation with is reputable and the usual practice to do so is to run a business background check. In order to do this, the following straightforward steps are recommended:投资者被某公司骗数百万美元的报道屡见不鲜。

因此，确定合作伙伴有好的信誉尤为重要，而进行商业背景调查是最常用的一种方法。

下面是进行商业背景调查的基本步骤：(1) Finding Basic Information of a CompanyAlways start at the local level, especially for a small company, as this may be the only source of information available. All companies must conform to local laws or codes since they are essentially rooted in a community. City records are a good place to start. They will provide the information about the origin of the business, tax evasion, judgments filed or actions against the business. The information is normally public and available to all who ask.（1）调查公司基本信息调查公司的基本信息通常应从公司所在地区开始，特别是对于小公司来说，因为这里可能是信息的唯一来源。

所有的公司都必须遵守当地的法律法规，因为他们是植根于此的。

调查可以从城市记录入手，它们提供有关公司的起源、逃税情况、起诉判决以及违法行为等信息。

这些信息正常都向查询者公开。

(2) Checking a Company’s ReputationReferences can be excellent sources of confirmation of both a co mpany’s reputation and its ability to live up to its commitments. Before you do business with a company, it is imperative that references be contacted by either telephone or email. Generally former clients will provide a well-rounded picture of the company in question and its personnel. Another valuable reference is the company’s vendor list. Anybody who provides either goods or services to a company can attest to their credit worthiness.（2）调查公司信誉第三方证明是肯定一个公司声誉及其履约能力的很好的资源。