OVERVIEWY Vocabulary — Describing companies [] Listening — a successful company [] Reading \ The world's most respected companies [_} Language review Present simple and present continuous Skills Presenting your company Case study Valentino Chocolates 6 se everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer. Anonymous SETA U Sy ©) Which of these companies would you like to work for? Why? 4a family owned company 2 a multinational company 3. your own company (be self-employed) > Vocabulary file page 157 © Which of these business sectors do you work in (or would you tike to work in)? Can you name a company in each sector? + Telecommunications / Media» Transport + Engineering Vehicle manufacturing + Retailing + IT (Information Technology) / Electronics * Construction * Food and drink * Tourism * Pharmaceuticals / Chemicals + Banking and finance * Other (ET © Complete the sentences betow with words and phrases from the box. Describing companies share price workforce profit turnover subsidiary market share head office 4 The amount of money a company receives from sales in a particular period is called its ...turnaves 2 The money a company makes after taking away its costs is its 3 Acompany which is more than 50% owned by a parent company is called a... :3 Companies 4 The employees in a particular country or business are called the 5. The percentage of sales a company has in a particular market is its 6 The main building or location of a large organisation is its . 7 The cost of a company's shares is its , © Complete the extract from a company report with appropriate words or phrases from the box in Exercise A. INAN L ag u Nm Tam pleased to say the company has continued its excellent performance. We are changing, growing and doing well at 2 difficult time for the industry. ... [UoN0Ven .. ,’ was €57.2 million, an increase of 15% on last year, and “rose by 5% to €6.4 mallion. We are a + ety competitive business. We have increased our ..'to 20%, Consequently our ,, and is now at an all-time high of €9.6. Increased production and strong demand have had a positive effect on cur cash lw, so we are able to france a number of new projects, We have successfully moved to our new +. Sin central London, We are now planning to start fall production at the recently opened Spanish . in October. Finally, thanks once again to our loyal and dedicated .....,..........”. Our employees will always be our most valuable asset, 3 @ Complete the chart below with the information from the box. Peugeot Benetton container ship operator American Express French Japanese Italian drug and chemical maker drinks supplier Company | main activity | Nationality Cisco Systems Internet equipment supplier American | car manufacturer | - Bacardi Martini Spanish | Travel and financial ‘American | Services provider Bayer | German | Clothing manufacturer — - _ Sony | Electronic goods maker AP Moller Maersk "Danish ‘Make sentences about the companies. For example Cisco Systems is an American IT company which supplies Internet equipment. © Now tatk in the same way about your own company or one you know well. (3© Work in small groups. Agree on the three most important factors from those listed below that can make a company successful. © focusing on how to increase market share * having a strong company culture * having user-friendly packaging © having good designers who also understand production © responding to the needs of the workforce * starting with a simple business idea that is easy to understand Asuccessful company © (31 Peter jetkeby, IKEA's UK Deputy Country Manager, talks about four i factors that make IKEA a successful company. Listen and number the four 7 factors in Exercise A in the order in which he mentions them. “j A Peter Jetkeby @ (222 Listen to the second part of the interview and complete these notes. IKEA manages to stay ahead of the competition by: 0 ? the market and the customer ., p + understanding how the ............3 are acting + being not only about products, but also about ato people's needs © (13: Listen to the final part and decide which of the following was the interviewer's question. 1 What new projects are you currently involved in? 2 How can you keep up your performance at such a difficult time for the economy? 3 What are the things a successful international business must do? 4 Where are you planning to expand in the next five years? LCT g Ina survey for the Financial Times, 1,000 respondents (all of them Th ’ ae Chief Executive Officers) across 25 countries identified the most respected . companies they respect most and gave the reasons for their choices. companies The criteria used for ranking include, among others, innovation, shareholder value, customer service and community commitment (i.e. supporting the community by creating jobs, protecting the environment, giving money to charity, etc.). © Work in pairs. Ask each other questions to complete the tables. Student A: Turn to page 137. Student B: Turn to page 143. © Workin pairs. Student A: Read article 1, Student B: Read article 2. As you read, make a note of the key information about your company. Toyota Microsoft Ta reall Tel.ak money Je chao. 2s)3 Companies Articles Customer service by Rod Newing ‘The main factor for the success of Toyota, the number-one com- pany for customer service, is not only its customer focus, but 5 also its products. Toyota pro- vides the products that cus- tomers most want to buy, and designs models that meet peo: ple's changing priorities. In par 40 ticular, it has responded to the industry trend by providing ‘smaller, more environmentally ‘Toyota's reward for its world- third and fourth slots — friendly cars, such as the Prius, peating customer service is not 20 Dell, IBM and Microsoft. TBM 2 hybrid car with both petrol just tobe the world’s most prof. and Dell are nominated for 1S and electric engines itable carmaker. It ison course being customer-focused, while However, Toyota's aftersales 59 become the world’s biggest Microsoft scored more highly service too is very much appre. ™ ty becom eae ciated. "They do everything to "RU". ory different comput make clients satisfled,’ f ne saysone er companies fill the second, EE NANCIAL TIMES Article 2 Commitment to communities ae ‘Microsoft scores most highly in the eyes of chief executives for domonstrating commitment to, and investment in, com: '5 munities. ‘Among the reasons they give are the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the ‘company’s ‘respect for local 10 community needs’ and the large sums It spends on spon: sorship. says the autos company con- _ respected companies, says one ‘Bill Gates’ contributions ‘tributes tothe protection of the CEO, will be those that develop to charity have dramatically environment. environmental technology and 15 changed the image of Microsoft, ‘Third is Coca-Cola, which __ medical treatments for global says one CEO. 25 ‘provides lot of employment’ as use and that contribute to ‘Toyota, in second place, has and ‘adapts to the culture of world peace and safety. ‘a commitment to train local every country’. BP and suppliers and employees; says MeDonald’s take fourth and 20 another respondent, Another __ fifth place, and GE comes sixth. FINANCIAL TIMES 90 The next generation of After reading, ask your partner what he or she has learnt about Toyota and Microsoft. Add the new information to your table in Exercise B.[3 Companies Language review Present simple and present continuous Complete the rules with the following phrases. future arrangements ongoing situations and actions faettatinformation routine activities and habits temporary situations ‘We use the present simple to: © give ... factual. infacmation....* Our company produces parts for the car industry. + talk about . always check my e-mail first thing in the morning. Some verbs are almost always used in the present simple rather than the present continuous, for example like, want, know, need. We use the present continuous t + describe We're constantly improving the design gfour products 8 deSCHbE ..cecessee She's staying in Frankfurt il the end ft month. # talk AbOUE .ssscesesnaseerssneeesvsneene We're opening a new subsidiary next week. a. page 120 © Complete these sentences with either the present simple or the present continuous form of the verbs in brackets. 4 We normally ....../20ld...... (hold) our sales conference in Spain, but this year we .. ‘old) it in Poland. 2 Although We ......ssssssssee (Use) Our own sales rep at the moment, we generally ...............+++ (use) agents in Japan. 3 Itnormally . (take) us two years to develop a new product. 4 We don't often. (raise) our prices more than 5%, but this time we... (raise) them 10%. 5 Usually our Sales Director . (deal) with important customers. 6 We usually ............se004 (Fectuit) from within the company, but this time WO... sseeeessseseees (advertise) externally. 7 We... . (rent) offices until our new headquarters are ready. 8 The company (want) to achieve record sales this year. © Complete this job advertisement with either the present simple or the present continuous forms of the verbs from the box. look have offer employ be offer prepare consider need grow SALES MANAGER We ....,M.....! one of the largest mobile phone retailers in Europe. We Independent and impartial advice on mobite phones. We $ more than 800 stores in 10 countries, and we... fast. We ocscccssee® over 8,000 workers. Currently We .........ce® the next stage in our development, and We ...........’ or major growth outside Europe, We ......sseefor people who are reliable, confident and enthusiastic. We .. experienced people who want to work for an expanding company. We a ‘competitive salary and private health insurance. We are willing to reward staff with attractive pertormance-based bonuses. Ring 020 7946 0008 for an information pack. 26)3 Companies | © Which of these suggestions do you agree with? To make an effective presentation, you should: 1 find out as much as possible about your audience. 2 introduce yourself (name, position, company). 3 start with a joke, 4 outline the structure of your talk, 5 vary the tone of your voice. 6 refer to your notes as often as possible. 7 use clear visual aids. 8 summarise your main points. Presenting your company eo O)34 Listen toa presentation about Tara Fashions. Complete the chart. Tara Fashions Where is the head office? | Cérdoba, Spain What does it sell? Who are its customers? Annual turnover? Annual net profits? Number of stores: in Spain? | in other European cities? Strengths? Future plans? @ (24 Listen again, Which of the suggestions in Exercise A does the speaker follow? © Think about your company, or any other company you know. Study the Useful language below, and use the headings in Exercise B to help you prepare a presentation about it. Then work in pairs. Make a presentation about the company. Ask questions after your partner's presentation. Useful language | Outlining the presentation First, I'l give you some basic information. Secondly, Pll talk about our stores in other countries. Next, I'll talk about career opportunities. Last of all, | want to look at our future plans. Introducing new information Here's some basic information. Let me add a few figures. Let's have a look at some statistics. What are our strengths? Ending the presentation To conclude, | want to tell you about our future plans. Finally, a few words about our new project. Thanks very much for listening to my talk. Thanks for coming to my presentation. leBackground Valentino chocolates are made in Turin. ‘They are luxury products with a unique taste, and have won many international awards. Expansion The company has expanded rapidly over the past ten years. It now has almost 300 employees, 75 company-owned shops, and a turnover of €90 million. However, in the last two years, sales growth has slowed down and costs have risen. This has caused a fall in profits. ' Ose ttiscen {oo this eacereuiromiat board meeting. Make notes under the four. headings below. Reasons for falling profits Chart a: Valentino's main products (as a % of turnover) y —_— KEY Exclusive handmade Valentino Classic Bars chocolates Raw chocolate Chocolate drinks Packaged chocolates Biscuits and cakesThe future Valentino's owners have set aside €1.5 million to invest in their company so that it continues to expand and becomes an international business. Here is an excerpt from a company profile that, a business journal did recently: So, the problem is: how should Valentino invest the €1.5 million? Chart 2 lists the ways in which it could do the Chart 2: Investment options Option Cost 1 Buy new machinery €200,000 2 Invest in more research and development €200,000 3 Buy outa local competitor €.5 million 4 Set up a factory in the US €43 million 5 Finance a market survey and research €100,000 trips to the US 6 Invest in an existing group of cafés +€500,000 7 Set up online sales €150,000 8 Buy anew fleet of cars +€500,000 You are directors of Valentino. Meet to discuss your investment plan. 41 Work in pairs, Decide how to spend the €1.5 milion. Prepare a presentation of your investment plan, with reasons for your choices. ‘Meet as one group and present your ideas. 3. As one group, agree on a final investment plan. Writing Asa director of Valentino Chocolates, write a proposal document to your CEO in which you: 1 the investment options you have chosen; © give arguments for each option, as well as cost and anticipated benefit. The beginning has been written for you. D Writing fite page 131 3 Companies | de® Oo 6 3280s End the delays caused by the old machines breaking down Develop new products such as a low-fat chocolate drink, new biscuits/cakes Reduce local competition | Manufacture chocolates in a major new market. ‘Assess the market potential for Valentino products Contact agents, Become a partner in cafés which sell and promote Valentino chocolates | Increase sales and profits Increase motivation of the sales staff } GRINVESTMENT PLAN __1 Objectives To solve our current problems and enable Valentino to become a competitive international business, we propose an investment of €1.5 million, __2 Strategy and implementation The Board of Directors has agreed the following investment plan: bo