UNIT 3

DESCRIBING A COMPANY

I. INTRODUCTION

A company is a voluntary association formed and organized to carry on a business

with the aim of making profit. Types of companies include sole proprietorship, partnership,
private and public limited company. You may need to present your company to visitors,
potential investors or partners, or new suppliers and clients. Here is some useful English
vocabulary to learn that will help you talk clearly, concisely and positively about what your
company does.

II. USEFUL ENGLISH PHRASES

 Giving the history of your company

- We were founded / set up / established in 1981.

- We merged with X company in 1990.
- We set up a subsidiary in the UK.
- The subsidiary was sold off two years after and the remaining company was split into
five different divisions.
- We floated on the stock exchange last year, and we are now listed on the London
Stock Exchange.

 Talking about your products and services

- We make / produce packaging material.

- We manufacture car engines.
- We supply paper products.
- We launched a new washing powder last month. It has revolutionised the
washing process. We have pioneered new ways of reducing energy costs in domestic
appliances.
- We are researching new products for the home entertainment industry. We hope to roll
them out early next year.
- We are developing new software for the internet. Our R&D department is working
closely with our international partners.
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 Company performance

- We are the market leaders in three countries.

- We have expanded our operations.
- Our company has grown by one-third.
- We make annual profits of £1 million.
- Our turnover is in excess of £2 million.

 Company structure

- At the head is the President, or CEO.

- Below the President is the Managing Director, who has overall responsibility for the
day-to-day running of the company.
- The company is divided into different departments, each with its own director. The
Marketing and Sales department consists of the sales team, and customer services.
The Administration department also includes Human Resources.
- We employ more than 2000 people worldwide.

 Responsibilities

- I report to the Marketing Manager.

- I deal with customer enquiries.
- We work closely with the sales team, who are in charge of customer accounts.
- We co-operate with our offices worldwide.
- We have more than one branch in some countries.
- We are responsible for our own markets.

 Useful phrases to talk about companies

- Its HQ/ headquarters/ head office is in…

- It has an office/ a branch/ a factory/ a plant in… It produces/ manufactures/ makes…
- It a/ an … company (but it is owned by a/ an …. company) It sells/ distributes…
- It provides/ offers… In this country, it…
- It’s a multinational company
- It does most/ a lot of business in… Its main business is…
- It has a subsidiary which…
- Its (main) competitors (in this country) are… It’s a market leader
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 - It was in the news (recently) because…
- It’s the largest/ second largest company in… It was set up/ founded…
- It operates in…
- It has … employees (in…)
- It has … subsidiaries (which…) It is owned by…
- It’s a privately-owned company (= limited company)/ publically-owned company (=
PLC/ public corporation)/ government-owned company/ partnership
- It exports/ imports/ distributes…
- It’s a wholesaler/ retailer/ manufacturer/ miner/ distributor/ technology company/
telecommunications company/ conglomerate
- Its most famous product (in this country) is…
- The CEO/ Managing Director/ Chairman/ founder/ owner is…

ASSIGNMENT 1

Choose a company of your choice and answer the following questions.

1. Which company do you work for?

2. Which company are you with?

3. Who do you represent?

4. I work for …………Company.

5. I'm with ……...

6. I represent (the) ……… (company).

7. What is the name of your company?

8. Where are you located?

9. The name of our company is . . . .

10. Our company is located in . . . .

11. Our headquarters is in . . .

12. What (type of business) do you do?

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 13. What business are you in?

14. We are in the computer business.

15. We're in computers

16. We sell . . .

17. We produce . . .

18. We manufacture . . .

19. Our major products are . . .

ASSIGNMENT 2
Faculties and other Administrative Departments

LAW
MATHEMATICS

REGISTRAR
OFFICE

STUDENT
ENGENEERIN
20.BUSINESS G

ACCOUNTING
ECONOMICS

Fig: Company departments

The university consists of / is made up of / is divided into several faculties and
administrative departments. Match each job from the column on the left to a company
department or faculty from the column on the right.
A Law 1 offers programmes in the area of microeconomics and
macroeconomics
B Economics 2 processes registration requests, schedules classes and maintains
class lists, enforces the rules for entering or leaving classes, and

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 keeps a permanent record of grades and marks
C Business 3 Keeps record of students fees

D Engineering 4 encompasses a broad range of areas, including algebra,

, mathematical finance, numerical analysis, and scientific computing.
E Mathematics 5 teaches topics such as accounting, administration, strategy,
economics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resource management,
information systems, logistics, marketing and others.
F Accounting 6 teaches electronics and computing courses

G Registrar Office 7 offers programmes in the area of criminal , civil and international laws

ASSIGNMENT 3
CLEANING WORDSEARCH

Can you find the nine words about cleaning?

Remember to look horizontally, vertically and diagonally!

P J W K U B X E H U D I

D A I L R B R Z Y U B N

X T V U Q R R N S A C P

Y B S E H X X T C W O X

X H M N N R E P N G P U

T H F F P R Z G I B W U

P O L I S H V O A R T L

C B L E A C H S W O U W

X L L D L S T F O O Z F

T C O H O O V E R M T I

S M K T K J T Z L Z N F

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 N W O C H D U S T P A N

 Duster
 cloth
 broom
 brush
 bleach
 hoover
 dustpan
 wax
 polish

COOKING WORDSEARCH

Can you find the ten words that describe ways of cooking?

Remember to look horizontally, vertically and diagonally!

B A C O F U F U K P V E

Z R U H N N W G L X K H

I B A S A S T I R F R Y

C Q D I S R K P E O S S

B O I L S A G U Z R A I

W Z Q O K E E R R C N M

Q A L K I H D O I K O M

S S F B T T A R J L Q E

S A T R Y S F I E T L R

B T U E T B J F H M W V

Q D E T A B V Y R I F V

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X R W W E M C P A Y K S

 fry
 braise
 roast
 chargrill
 saute
 steam
 stirfry
 boil
 simmer