Unit 9 COMPANY RESULTS AND STRATEGY Objectives - Describing results and strategy - Having good behavior at work Contents - Talking about conditions - Talking about results - Financial statement PREPARATION There is a logical connection among three of the four words in each of the following groups. Which is the odd one out? And why? 1. annual report - external auditors - financial statements - stockbroker 2. blue chip - defensive stock - growth stock - rights issue 3.
bonus issue - dividend - over the counter - shareholder 4. creditor - market-maker - shareholder - stockbroker 5. debt - equity - share - stock 6. face value - market value - nominal value - par value 7.
institutional investor - insurance company - liabilities - pension fund LISTENING 1. Listen to a com pany chairman making an end-of-year presentation. As you listen, com plete his presentation notes Three areas: 53 1. Results -turnover: + 14% - costs: b.
E xports:_________________ Domestic consumer market: 2. : has expanded New areas:_______ a n d _________ 3. The Research Dept, has tested prototype engine b. Listen to the discussion about company strategy.
Match the conditions to the results. The first one has been done for you Conditions Results 1. Adapt to market 3. Invest in new plant c.
Market share increases 5. Reduce manufacturing costs e. Cut unit costs 6. Unit costs come down 7.
Upgrade product g- Higher profits 8. Sub-contract production h. Job losses CONTROLLED PRACTICE 1. Put the verbs in brackets into an appropriate tense - present perfect or past simple 1.
Turnover:__________________________ by 14% last year, (increase) 2. The co m p an y ________________________encouraging results recently. The domestic consumer market _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ very competitive, (be) 54 4. Five years ago w e ________________________________a new product.
W e ______________ to Japan last month, (go) 8. W e _______________ n o t _______________ the results of the exams yet. y o u ______________ the report? (read) Yes, it was interesting. Five senior m anagers______________ this year, (retire) 2.
Make conditional sentences from the prompts below. You must decide which is the condition and which is the result, and use an appropriate verb, where necessary E. Sales increase/ good advertising campaign Sales will increase if we have a good advertising campaign if there is a good advertising campaign 1. More satisfied customers/ improve the after-sales service 2.
Rationalize production/ productivity increased 3. Job losses/ rationalize production 4. Install robots/ lower labor costs 5. Price war/ competitors enter the market 6.
Charge higher prices/ improve the product quality 7. Earn larger profits/ increase our margins 8. No research/ no new products 55 9. Not offer better salaries/ not attract the best people 10.
Fewer meetings/ more time to do the job Work in pairs Student B: Turn to the tapescript 9b. Student A: Find out whether Student B has or hasn’t done the things in the list below. If the answer is yes, ask for further information about when/ where/ why he/ she did them. All the introductory questions should be in the present perfect.
All the questions for further information (when/ where/ why etc.) should be in the past simple. Have you (ever) travelled by hovercraft? Where did you go ? Why did you go there? When was that? 1. make a presentation in English 5. speak on the telephone in English 6.
fly on Concorde 7. sleep in a tent 8. drive a car on the left-hand side of the road 9. trade fair LANGUAGE STUDY 1.
In his presentation, the chairman used the present perfect tense (has/have + past participle) The results have been very pleasing. The company has performed well. 56 He uses this tense because: 1. He is probably talking at the end of December - the year is not quite finished.
He doesn’t specifically refer to time periods. Contrast the present perfect and the past simple in the following sentences: The company has performed well, (present perfect) The company performed well at the beginning of the year, (past simple) 3. Many of the events have a present impact, e. We have invested heavily in the European Technology Programme.
So, we can contrast the present perfect with the past simple, as follows: 1. We have done well this year, (time unfinished) We did well last year, (time finished) 2. I ’ve been to Paris, (time not stated) I went to Paris last week, (time stated) 3. Our Research Department has thoroughly tested a new prototype, (present and future impact) Our Research Department thoroughly tested a new prototype and found it was not effective, (no present impact) 2.
In the extract from the meeting in the listening 2, conditional sentences were used to express possible results. The construction used was: Condition Result If we reduce prices our market share will increase If we can reduce unit costs that must put us in a strong position Note The present simple is used in the condition. The future with ‘will' or a modal in the present is used in the result. We often reverse the sentence: Result Condition But it’ll mean job losses if we sub-contract production Unit costs can only come down if we invest in new plant 57 WORDS CHECK chairm an person who is in charge of a meeting review general examination results outcome of the year's trading turnover amount of sales profits money gained which is more than m oney spent domestic home c o m p e tith e hard, as a result of the activities o f other companies in the same area disappointing below expectation policy decisions on the way of doing something actually in fact to recruit to get new staff to expand to get bigger quality assurance checking that the quality of a product is good growth increase in size protot) pe first model of a new machine before it goes into production strategy plan of future action to define to find flexible which can be changed objective something which you aim for m arket share percentage of a total market which the sales of a company or product cover to reduce to make less or smaller m argins difference between the buying and selling price long-term for a long period of time prospect possibility for the future to invest to spend money usefully plant factor) m an ufacturin g production to upgrade to make better rapidly quickly to adapt to change to sub-contact to agree w ith another company that they will do part of the work Unit 10 COMPETITION Objectives - Talking about com pany's competitors - Being self-confident and active in business Contents - C om petitor’s features - Making comparison PREPARATION Complete this text.
Choose correct word(s) from each box to make true sentences about your company One of our main competitors i s. Their share of the market is larger and higher about products smaller than ours but their profits are the same/ Their services are lower more and better expensive than ours their quality is less but about the same/ worse LISTENING • The Sales Manager of Brotherton PLC is talking about the com pany's main competitors. As you listen, find out the years they entered the market 59 C om pany Y ear Brotherton Benton Zecron Mansell • Listen again, complete the table below Rank in order 1- 4: Profitability Age in market Market share Product price 1=most l=oldest l=biggest 1= cheapest profitable Brotherton Benton Zecron Mansell CONTROLLED PRACTICE Use the table in the listening to complete these sentences 1. Benton’s product are sold a t.
Mansell have been in the m ark e t. Brotherton entered the m ark e t. Benton entered the market ten y e a rs. market share than Brotherton.
M ansell’s products are sold a t. prices than Brotherton’s. LANGUAGE STUDY C om p a ra tiv e and su p erla tiv e 1. Adjectives with one syllable 60 long longer the longest big bigger the biggest low lower the lowest high higher the highest late later the latest 2.
Two-syllable adjectives ending in V heavy heavier the heaviest early earlier the earliest 3. Adjectives with two or more syllables reliable more reliable the most reliable expensive more expensive the most expensive profitable more profitable the most profitable 4. We can also modify the strength of the comparative adjective - I f we want to make it stronger, we can use much E. a much smaller market share much more reliable - I f we want to make it weaker, we can use slightly E.
slightly higher price slightly longer Now make sentences of your own using comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. W ORD C H ECK competition trying to do better than another competitor person or company who tries to do better than another person or company competitive hard, as a result of competition to enter the market to start the business to grow to become bigger market share percentage of a total market which the sales of a company cover 61 attractively in a pleasant way weakness position of not being strong or active major important return official report of income and profits investment money spent usefully plant gactory to overtake to pass to achieve to succeed in doing something turnover amount of sales reliable which can be trusted reputation general opinion about something or someone to hold on to to keep 62 TAPESCREPT AND ANSWER KEY UNIT 1 1. A: Hello, let me introduce myself. My nam e’s Klein, Gunther Klein.
B: Pleased to meet you. A: How do you do? My nam e’s Paul Matthews. B: Nice to meet you. M ine’s Akira Mishima.
B: Nice to meet you. My nam e’s Francine. A: Peter, could you introduce me to the Marketing Manager? B: O f course John. Philip, let me introduce you to John, our new Computer Manager.
C: Nice to meet you John, we’re going to be working together. A: Herr Tubingen, I haven’t met your Managing Director yet. Come and meet him. Dr Manndeim, this is Mr Roberts.
H e’s over from the States on a visit. C: Very nice to meet you, Mr Roberts. How long are you here for? 6. A: Jane, I don’t know anyone here.
You'll have to introduce me. B: Of course, I ’ll introduce you to Roger first. Roger, this is Susan. She's just moved to the area.
C: Nice to meet you, Susan. Do you come from these parts? 7. A: Let me introduce you two. Maxine, this is Francis.
B: Nice to meet you, Maxine. Are you an old friend of T ony’s. C: Oh yes, Tony and I have know each other for years, haven’t we? A: Yes, that’s right. Answers to the listening task 1st person 2 nd person 3rd person Gunther Klein Mr Roberrs x Paul Mathews N ^ A John — A — ------- Philip Tom \ Geoff Snowdon x _Francis Peter v ^ Maxine ” \ Dr Mannheim Herr Tubingen ^ ^ \\ F r a n c i n e ^ Roger Jane ^ ' Akira Mishirma Tony Susan 3.
PETER KING: Hello, let me introduce myself. My nam e’s Peter King. JACK SIMPSON: Nice/Pleased to meet you. SARAH: Philip, I don tknow anyone here.
You’ll have to introduce me. PHILIP: O f course, I ’ll introduce you to James. H e’s an old friend of mine. James, this is Sarah, she just joined the company.
JAMES: (Very) nice to meet you, Sarah. Where do you come from? 3. PETE: Rod, I haven t met Mr Rogers, the Purchasing M anager from Kentons. Come and meet him.
Mr Rogers, let me introduce you to Pete Taylor, our Export Sales Manager. MR ROGERS: (Very) nice to meet you. What countries do you cover? 4. KLAUS FISCHER: How do you do? My nam e’ sKlaus Fischer.