Unit 2.

Talking about your

company!

Motto: “There were no corporations in the fifteenth century. But there were families”
(Lee Iacocca)

Objectives

In this unit you will learn:

 to create a complete company profile by writing an advertorial1

 to talk about your responsibilities inside the company

 to talk about your company ‘s organisation based on its flow chart (organogram)

1
Advertorial: an advertisement that is written and presented in the style of an editorial or journalistic report.
 UNIT 2. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY!

Lead-in

“Ready for company life?”

Find out what your peers think about work and careers!
You could ask some of the questions below:

1. Are you ready to take a part time job?

2. Have you ever visited a job fair? Which companies were you most interested in?

3. Are you familiar with any career opportunities in your future line of work?

4. Would you like to start your working career in a state owned company or in a private one?

5. Do you think that engineering training could be useful for a career in a totally different
field? Politics, business, film directing, other? Why? Why not?

6. Have you ever met a successful engineering graduate with the same degree you are
about to take? If yes, did this graduate work in Manufacturing? Design? Marketing? R&D?
Did you get any career tips to follow?

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 UNIT 2. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY!

Company profile

Task 1 Company logos

Look at the company logos below! What is each company’s line of business?

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Task 2 Line of business!

Read and complete the advertorial selections below with the words in the box:

hospitality appliances subsidiary aircraft brand retailers

electronics automotive wholesaler

a. Philips (Netherlands) is one of the world's biggest ...(1)… companies and Europe's
largest, with sales of EUR 31.8 billion in 2002. It is a global leader in color television sets,
lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip
TV products. Its 164,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of
lighting, consumer electronics, domestic ...(2)… , semiconductors, and medical systems.

b. Mercedes-Benz is firmly established as an independent ...(3)… within one of the world’s

leading car companies – DaimlerChrysler AG. It is one of the top ...(4)… companies,
producing both passenger and commercial vehicles.

c. Hilton Hotels Corporation is recognized internationally as a preeminent ...(5)…

company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises approximately 2,000
hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties.

d. Marks & Spencer is one of the UK's leading ...(6)… of clothing, foods, homeware and
financial services, serving 10 million customers a week in over 300 UK stores. The
Company also trades in 30 countries worldwide, and has a Group turnover in excess of £8
billion.

e. Based in Toulouse, France, Airbus is a major European ...(7)… manufacturer. It designs,

develops and produces Ariane launchers, the Columbus laboratory and the ATV cargo
vessel for the International Space Station, atmospheric reentry vehicles, missiles for
France's nuclear deterrent force, propulsion systems and space equipment.

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 UNIT 2. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY!

Task 3 A Romanian Company Profile

Listen to the presentation of a genuine Romanian Company. Fill in the chart with the missing
information:

a. company name
b. main line of business
c. main markets
d. annual growth rate
e. estimated total revenues in 2004
f. workforce
g. productivity rate per employee

Task 4 The Business Jargon

Use the phrases below to complete the following dialogue fragments:

a. parent company e. business like

b. holding f. shelf company
c. blue-chip g. sister company
d. core business h. business is business
i. business as usual
Example:
Managing Director Business will go on normally over the next seven
(MD) months. I don’t think there is any reason to be worried!
Partner (P) I see, business as usual then. (a)

1. MD They are now taking into consideration the possibility of buying a

company that’s already been legally formed but is not active yet.
P Really, are they considering investment in a …............

2. MD A golden business rule says: you should never be influenced by

friendship, pity or emotion when you do business.
P I know …............

3. MD We’ve got a lot of business interests, but designing new elevators makes
most of our money.
P Really, is that your …............?

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 UNIT 2. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY!

4. MD She’s particularly practical and effective in both what she does and the
way she persuades others.
P I agree, she’s quite …............

5. MD ‘Tinco’ s the name of the second company owned by the OPL trust.
P I’ve already had some contracts with their …............

6. MD We ’d like to invest our shares in a well-known, successful

company.
P You mean you need a true …............ company!!!

7. MD They’ re becoming very powerful!

P I agree, three new firms have already opened in the past 2 months,
They’ re turning into a real …............!

8. MD Such low cost? I can’t believe it!

P That’s true! The subsidiary’ s using foreign employees which
doesn’t happen in the …............ company, that’s why!

Task 5 Questions (1)

Ask your teacher questions about the missing information in the chart below. If you need help
with question formation, refer to the grammar section on page 248.

Example: a. Where is your company based?

a. Headquarters ………………………………………….
b. Year founded ………………………………………….
c. Founder ………………………………………….
d. President and CEO ………………………………………….
e. First commercial aircraft ………………………………………….
f. Number of employees ………………………………………….
g. Net income for fiscal 2002 ………………………………………….
h. Net sales for fiscal 2002 ………………………………………….
i. Flagship plane ………………………………………….
j. Number of aircraft delivered in 2002 ………………………………………….
k. Number of aircraft currently in circulation ………………………………………….
l. Next plane ………………………………………….
m. Biggest order in 2002 ………………………………………….

Can you guess the company’s name? Is it Airbus, Boeing or Lockheed Martin ?

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Task 6 General Electric - Quiz!

Answer the quizz below before reading the brief presentation of General Electric Company.

1. GE’s history may be traced back to the development of the

a. punched card tabulator
b. first locomotive
c. incandescent electric lamp

2. GE is the outcome of
a. a businessman’s initiative
b. a merger of two companies
c. a merger of three companies

3. GE is associated with the name of

a. Henry Ford
b. Thomas Alva Edison
c. Herman Hollerith

4. GE is represented in a number of
a. more than 120 countries
b. 100 countries
c. 80 countries

5. GE introduced production of electric fans in

a. 1890’s
b. 1907
c. 1919

Read the text below and check your answers:

A good idea followed through

In 1876, Thomas Alva Edison opened a new laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Out of
the laboratory was to come perhaps the greatest invention of all - a successful incandescent
electric lamp. Two years later, in 1878, Edison established Edison Electric Light Company. In
1892, a merger of Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company
created General Electric Company.

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 UNIT 2. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY!

Tradition and innovation

Several of Edison's early business offerings are in fact still part of GE today including
lighting, transportation, industrial products, power transmission and medical equipment. The first
GE Appliances electric fans were produced at the Ft. Wayne electric works as early as the
1890s, while a full line of heating and cooking devices were developed in 1907. GE Aircraft
Engines, the division's name only since 1987, actually began its story in 1917 when the U.S.
government began its search for a company to develop the first airplane engine "booster" for the
fledgling U.S. aviation industry. Thomas Edison's experiments with plastic filaments for light
bulbs in 1893 led to the first GE Plastics department, created in 1930.

Company organisation

GE as parent company operates in more than 100 countries and employs more than
300,000 people worldwide. GE has been active in Romania since 1982, when GE Energy
opened a representative office. Today, most of the GE businesses are active in Romania,
directly, through GE International representative office or through its distribution network.

(based on http://www.ge.com/en/company/companyinfo/at_a_glance/history_story.htm)

Task 7 Questions (2)

In pairs ask and answer questions to find out why the figures listed below are important: For
further information on how to ask questions go to the Grammar Reference section, page 248.

Example:
1876
When did Edison open his new laboratory?

Student A 1878 1892 1890 1893 1907

Student B 1917 1982 1987 100 300 000

Task 8 Company Advertorial

Write a short advertorial on Boeing Company using the information in Task 5 and the mini -
advertorials in Task 2.

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People and careers

Task 9 Is there a magic formula for success?

a. Do successful managers have a secret recipe for success or do they just apply well the
rules everybody knows? What do you think? Discuss in groups of four and ask your
spokesperson to report to class.
b. Read the excerpt below to get a professional’s opinion. Refer to the text in order to mark
the statements under the text as true (T) or False (F).

If you make believe that ten guys in pin-striped suits are back in a kindergarten class
playing with building blocks, you’ll get a rough picture of what life in a corporation is like.
Grown men in a meeting will do anything – absolutely anything – to avoid being shown up. If
someone doesn’t know the facts about a subject, he’ll ad – lib, just like a kid. Instead of saying
‘I’ll have to get that for you boss, I don’t have the answer right at hand”, he’ll try to fake it. He’s
scared that if he confesses he doesn’t know, the boss will think he’s not as sharp as the other
little kids in class.
Only the boss can set a tone that lets people feel comfortable enough to say those
magic words “I don’t know” followed by “But I’ll find out”. Business, after all, is nothing more than
a bunch of human relationships. It’s one guy comparing notes with another: Here’s what I am
doing. What are you doing? Is there some way I can help you – and you can help me?…
People are always saying to me: “But there’s got to be something mysterious. There
must be a formula”. There really isn’t. Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate
with your employees, motivate them, and reward them if they perform. If you do all those things
effectively, you can’t miss. … When all is said and done, management is a code of values and
judgements. And that’s why, in the end, you have to be yourself.
(based on “Talking straight”, by Lee Iacocca)

a. Company life is totally different from any other life experience.

b. An employee’s interest is to tell the truth to his boss and colleagues .
c. The boss is never allowed to say “I do not know”.
d. There is nothing mysterious about the main principles of good company management.
e. What matters in management are the values and the judgements that lie at the heart of
action.

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Task 10 Do business or make business?

Do and make are easy to confuse. Underline the correct option in the examples below:

Example: Making/doing business on such a large market doesn’t necessarily

mean you will make/do a profit immediately.

1. After making/doing the test they realized what a big breakthrough they had made.

2. Do you think that making/doing over time is the easiest way of getting a promotion in this
company?

3. Your job is to deal with any complaints that customers might make/do.

4. I’ve reported to the general manager that at present we are making/doing a new series of
experiments on the strength of a new brand of composite materials.

5. We have no choice. We will have to operate on a shoestring budget. What we can’t

make/do without is extra skilled personnel.

6. If we make/do 10% of our people redundant we will be able to cut down on our losses.

7. When you are planning to make/do an investment, it is best to have a specialized agency
make/do market research for you.

8. Don’t worry, the boss is understanding. He won’t make/do a fuss. After all, everyone can
make/do a mistake now and then.

9. “Is Tina making/doing economics now? It must be her second degree after engineering”.
“That’s true. She has always been on the make/do”.

10. How does AKMAI intend to make/do good its pledge of a rise in profits to their
shareholders?

Task 11 A Romanian Recipe for Successful Management!

Class discussion: what does it take to be a successful business manager in Romania in your
opinion?
Now listen to the following interview and take down notes on the points below:

a) Speaker’s name and position

b) Educational background
c) Initiative
d) Achievements
e) Managerial skills
f) Challenges

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Task 12 Abbreviations
In the interview above the interviewee said:
“…But this was the moment when we started our accelerated growth based on major,
successful projects such as AEL… (AEL, i.e. Autonomous E - learning)”
Here is a list of common abbreviations used in business and economics. Guess what the initials
stand for!

a. CEO ----------------------------------------------------------
b. B2B ----------------------------------------------------------
c. HQ ----------------------------------------------------------
d. ISO ----------------------------------------------------------
e. MBA ----------------------------------------------------------
f. SMEs ----------------------------------------------------------
g. SWOT ----------------------------------------------------------
h. TM ----------------------------------------------------------
i. VAT ----------------------------------------------------------
j. VP ----------------------------------------------------------
k. ASAP ----------------------------------------------------------
l. N/A ----------------------------------------------------------
m. AGM ----------------------------------------------------------
n. p. a. ----------------------------------------------------------
o. AOB ----------------------------------------------------------

Task 13 Career history

Here is a model of a successful career history. Fill in the gaps with words taken from the box.

earned serves moving leadership appointed joined CEO

began assignments branch

Jack G. Ross is president and …(1)… of TERMA Energy, a leading supplier of power
generation technology, energy services and energy management systems. He was …(2)… to
his current position in November 2000.
He …(3)… his TERMA career in 1978 as a member of the Financial Management
Program, …(4)… to TERMA Corporate Audit Staff in 1981. In 1984 he …(5)… TERMA
Appliances, having various …(6)… in operations and consumer service.
In 1992 Ross became president and CEO of TERMA' s Canadian appliances …(7)…. In
1994 he assumed …(8)… of TERMA Corporate Audit Staff.

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Ross …(9)… a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Hamilton College in Clinton,
New York, and currently …(10)… on the Board of Trustees there.
He and his family live in Rodwell, Massachussets.

Company Structure

Task 14 Functions of Company Departments

Study the business activities listed below and assign them to the main departments in the chart.

a) Recruits employees
b) Is in charge of dispatch operations
c) Develops products in order to secure or improve levels of demand
d) Invoices customers
e) Runs promotion campaigns
f) Services the machines and equipment
g) Maintains supply records
h) Is in charge of investments plans
i) Controls product quality
j) Assesses staff performance
k) Manufactures goods
l) does market research
m) identifies consumer needs

Finance Marketing Production Human R&D

resources
    
   
 



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Task 15 Company Flow chart

In the following text, a Romanian engineer, Dan Soreanu, is describing the organization of his
own company, Romcool. Read the text and fill in the flow chart (organogram or company tree)
of his organization given below:

“…...What does Romcool look like? That would be a fair enough question to ask!
Romcool is one of those companies that still preserve a pyramidal structure. At the peak
of the hierarchy is the Board of Directors, headed by our chairman. Next in line is the chief
executive officer, who shares the office with the four divisional managers: the Human
Resources Manager, the Finance Manager, the Production Manager, and the Marketing
Manager.
The divisional managers are in charge of the four company departments: human
resources, finance, production, marketing. The human resources department has a two-way
breakdown: personnel and training. In the Finance Department, two departmental heads,
responsible for customer accounts and financial services, report directly to the finance manager.
The financial services include internal audit and financial planning, which deals with forecasting
and budgets. In addition, the legal officer (or company lawyer, as the position is sometimes
called in other companies), in charge of all legal matters, is subordinated to the finance
manager.
The six departmental heads responsible for production, purchasing, packaging,
distribution, quality, and maintenance report to the production manager. Over the last few years
we have also developed a small research and development unit (R&D). The marketing
department has a three-way breakdown. It is organized round sales, which are divided into
domestic sales and export sales, after-sales service, and advertising.

CEO 2

3 6 14 21 27

4 7 15 22

5 8 16 23

Budgets 9 17 24

10 18 25

11 Quality 19 26

12 20

13

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Task 16 Verbs in business language

Complete the statements below with the appropriate form of one of the verbs in the box. Some
verbs can be used more than once!

Example: This is our Human Resources Department which ……….. for personnel, training
and management development. (is responsible for)
be be responsible carry do get
go x 2 run take report

1. Cristian Alexandrescu is an engineer working in the IT field. His work frequently …............
him on business abroad but that does not mean he …............ business only with foreign
partners!

2. According to the organisation flow-chart of our company, the Sales Director …............ to
the Managing Director.

3. The Marketing Director together with his team intends to …............ out a large-scale
promotion campaign.

4. The break is over, so I suggest we should …............ down to business again before it is
too late to talk about important problems.

5. The crook has been caught and forced to …............ out of business for a very long period
of time.

6. Our company has just recovered from the brink of bankruptcy so we …............ back in
the coal mining business again.

7. He has always understood how electronic devices work so he has finally decided to
…............ into the electronics business on his own.

8. The firm almost went bankrupt as it …............ out of cash for an extremely long period of
time.

Task 17 Questions (3) Interviewing an executive

You are a young journalist preparing to interview a successful Romanian business professional.
Write a set of interview questions based on the checklist below and compare them with your
partner’s. For further information on how to ask questions go to the Grammar Reference
section, page 248.

1. name of company
2. position
3. company’s line of business
4. company department

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 UNIT 2. TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY!

5. responsibilities
6. name of next person in the chain of command
7. professional challenges
8. professional development

Task 18 An executive’s answers

Now read some fragments from an article based on an interview with a young Romanian
executive , Dragos Voinea, currently working for the Romanian branch of a multinational. Which
of your questions from the previous task is he answering?
Example: e - 2.

a. First of all, I act as the owner of the business and if I develop the right strategies I can
achieve my targets. Secondly, I am given the financial resources to support my brand and
when you work on very strong brands (or which have the potential to become strong) this
means a lot of money. Finally, I work in a highly competitive environment and every day is
a new challenge. If you miss an opportunity, you always have a second chance to make
things happen.

b. The Marketing Department, but I co–operate with other departments to make sure the
brand is growing.

c. Developing initiatives for the brand like TV commercials, sampling, outdoor campaigns.
Analyzing, understanding the brand and designing long and short term strategies for it.
This is actually an on – going process: you control the budget, manage a project, analyze,
carry out research with consumers, check the 14 stores. Also, from time to time we are
rotated on the brands and have to start again. In time you get less support and coaching
from senior managers and you acquire some responsibilities in building the organization,
which normally means interviewing candidates, coaching other colleagues, representing
the company at meetings abroad.

d. I have learnt a lot about marketing, brands and advertising, and from the best people in
these fields, too. I can apply all this expertise immediately. I am confident that now I can
work in any marketing department in the world, no matter the company ‘s line of business.
A lot of my expertise has been acquired through the learning - on - the - job system. And,
more importantly, I’ve developed some major skills like market analysis, risk–taking,
collaboration, leadership.

e. Assistant Brand Manager.


an executive – a senior manager in a business or other organisation

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Task 19 My Company - Project Work**

You are a group of five engineering graduates about to start your own company which will have
a minimum four departments.

First, decide on: company name, location, logo, and line of business.
Second, decide on the structure of the company and draw its flow chart.
Finally, appoint a position to each member of your group and establish their
responsibilities

In each group the student holding the highest position in the hierarchy will introduce the new
company to the whole class.

Supplementary Info

Directors The direct link between the stockholders and management is the director. In the
broadest sense he is a trustee appointed by the stockholders to guide the enterprise in their
best interests. The Board of Directors is the representative of the corporation. When the board
makes decisions, undertakes contracts, or conducts any business, it is the corporation that acts.
The power of the board belongs to the board as a whole, not to individual directors. Its power
involves: determining the policy, electing the officers, declaring dividends, making contracts,
issuing stock, etc.

In the selection of directors corporations make use of two policies. Some boards are
composed entirely of management personnel, highly familiar with the operations of the
business. In others, the directors are individuals of outstanding achievement in industry and
business who would be expected to have only limited knowledge of the operating details. On
such boards the only representatives of management may be the president and executive
vice president.

Chief Executive Officer The most senior manager in a company who has more authority
than anyone else and is responsible for its success.

For further information you may visit:

http://www. buildingbrands.com/definitions/08 manager or leaders.html

**
Refer to the supplementary info for support

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Checklist

Company Profile

What is the name of your company?

What company do you work for?
What is your company’s line of business?
How many countries does it operate in?
What’s its position on the market?
What markets is it active on?
How big is its market share? / What share of the market does your company have?
How many people does it employ?
Where is your company based?
When was it founded / established / set up?

… is one of the world's biggest / leading / top (car) companies

… is a major European manufacturer
… is a global leader in …
… is active in the areas of…
… operates /trades in more than … countries
… opened a representative office …/ is active in Romania through … representative office /
distribution network
… employs … people / has … employees / has a workforce of …
… is firmly established as an independent brand
… is recognized internationally as …
… was established / set up / founded in ….
… the company designs / develops / produces / owns / manages / trades in/ offers/ provides …
services
…. has a turnover of …

People and Careers

When did you join this company?

When did you assume leadership of this department?
What is your present position in the company / department?
What department do you work in?
What are your responsibilities/assignments exactly?
What / how many people are you in charge of?

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Who do you report to?

What have been the biggest professional challenges so far? / What has been the greatest
challenge so far?

… is in charge of …
…. is responsible for …
…is at the head of ……
… reports to …
The next in line is the Quality Department Manager……..
… deals with …
… acts as …
… sets / achieves targets …
… develops strategies / initiatives…
… is given the resources to …
… manages a project …
… carries out research …
… co-operates with …
… coaches other colleagues …

Company Structure

… is made up of …
… consists of …
… includes …
… can be/is broken down into …
… can be/is divided into …
… can be/is separated into …
… is headed by …

The financial services include .. ……and ……

…is organised around Sales which are further divided into
There are three sections under the Manager of Production………
There is a three way split/breakdown in our Department
He keeps overall responsibility for the whole department
The ..Department has a staff of 10.
This particular responsibility is the concern of the Sales Representative
These responsibilities include: market analysis, …………

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