Business English : Companies - The Speaking Cats

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WARM UP

Which of these companies do you or would you like to work for?

a family-owned company
a multinational company
your own company (be self-employed)

Can you name a company in each of these business sectors? Is there one
that you would like to work for?

• Telecommunications/Media • Banking and finance • Food and drink
• Engineering • Transport • Retailing
• Pharmaceuticals/Chemicals • Manufacturing • Another service industry
• Construction • IT /Electronics • Tourism

2- Complete the chart on the next page with the information in the box below.

American Express - container-ship - operator fashion/retail - Finnish
Japanese - Korean - Nokia - oil and gas - pharmaceuticals - Toyota

Company Main activity Nationality

Cisco Systems Internet-equipment supplier American

Car manufacturer

lnditex ~~Spanish~~

Travel and financial services provider American

Roche Swiss

Samsung Electronic-goods maker

Telecommunications

Hapag-Lioyd German

Petro bras Brazilian

3- Complete the sentences below with the words and phrases in the box.

head office - market share - net profit - parent company - share price - subsidiary - ~~turnover~~ - workforce

1 The amount of money a company receives from sales in a particular period is
called its turnover
2 The money a company makes after taking away its costs and tax is its
3 A company which owns another company is called a
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
8 A company which is more than 50% owned by another company is called a

4- listen to the CEO reading from the company report and and compete the paragraph.

head office - market share - net profit - ~~parent company~~ - share price - subsidiary - turnover - workforce

Financial performance
I am pleased to say the. parent company has continued its excellent performance. We
are changing, growing and doing well at a difficult time for the industry 2 was €57 .2 million. an increase or 15% on last year, and 3 rose by 5% to €6.4 million.
We are a highly competitive business. We have increased our 4 ' to 20%.
Consequently, our 5 has risen and is now at an all-time high or €9.6.
Increased production and strong demand have had a positive effect on our cash now, so we arc able to finance a number or new projects. We have successfully moved to our new 6 in central London. We are now planning to start full production at the recently opened Spanish 7 in October.
Finally. thanks once again to our loyal and dedicated 8 • Our employees will always be our most valuable asset.

5- Role Play

Now talk in the same way about your own company or one you know well. Which other companies in your country are doing well I not doing well at the moment?

Reading Companies

Discuss this question in pairs.
Would you like to run your own company? Why? I Why not?

Companies should be owned by their employees.' Discuss.

Article 1
India: Tata's search for a new CEO
by Joe Leahy in Mumbai

Mr Tata , Chairman of India's biggest company, is expected to retire - yet again - in two years . But this time things look different . The group appears ready to move on, formally announcing last month that it has set up a special committee to look for a
new CEO.
Instead of simply choosing the most obvious successor, the group has said it will consider all candidates for India's biggest corporate job. I n a country where companies are often controlled by influential families, the idea of an outsider, particularly a foreigner, controlling a group of Tata 's size and reputation is revolutionary.

At risk is more than the future of the Tata Group, though this is very important to the national economy.
With its I 00 subsidiaries - including India's biggest private-sector steel company, its biggest information technology outsourcing company and its biggest automotive
producer - it is also the country's first true multinational, with 65 per cent of its
$7 1 bn in revenue generated overseas. Analysts question whether Tata can create an example for corporate India of orderly transition from family leadership to professional management. "There's a feeling if an outsider, especially a foreigner, took over a group as complex as Tata.
it would be disastrous," says a banker who knows the company. However. some critics argue that introducing professionals would help to break down a reputation for weak management in large, family-run companies.

Article 2

Is John Lewis the best company in Britain to work for?
by Jon Henley

It is owned by its employees - or partners - who have a say in how it is run and receive a share of the profits. Surely this is the way every organization should be run?

It's just before opening time on bonus day at John Lewis and. boy. arc we excited.
Up and down the country, the 69 ,000 people who work for the t0 nation's favourite retailer arc gathered, impatient . A specially chosen staff member opens an envelope and reads out a number. Fifteen per cent. It's the percentage of their salary that each John Lewis employee takes home as that year's bonus.
If a product is on sale in a John Lewis store, you know you can trust it. Plus you can be sure you ' l l be served by someone who really knows what they ' re talking about and , most unusually of all. is eager to help.
Unlike other high-street names, John Lewis is owned by its employees, each of whom has a say in its running and a share in its profits. This is Britain's largest example of worker co-ownership . Its purpose is ''the happiness of all its members. through their wort h while and satisfying employment in a successful business''
''It 's a good company to work for." says Pedro. a Waitrose* chef. "I didn't realize how good until I joined . "
Employer-employee relations at John Lewis. says Nicola McRoberts, '·arc completely different. They want you to be happy."

A veteran of five years, kirsty Reilly. in womenswear, speaks of the "passion and commitment" that come from "being engaged. because you have a shared interest in making sure it works, for you and for the people you work with."

1- After reading, ask your partner what they have learned about Tata / John Lewis.
2- Compare and contrast the two companies.
Example : Tata is an Indian company, but John Lewis is a British company.
3- Discuss these questions.

What are the good and bad points of bringing in someone from outside to run a family owned business?
Do you know of any company like john Lewis in your country? If so, how successful is it?

Language Review

Present Simple Vs Present Continuous

Present simple
Form
+ I /You/We/They work.
He/She/It works.
- I /You/We/They don't (= do not) work.
He/She/It doesn't (= does not) work.
? Do I/you/we/they work?
Does he/she/it work?
Uses
1 We use the present simple to:
• give factual information about permanent activities.
Valentino makes luxury chocolates.

• describe a state that doesn't change.
He looks like his father.
Nothing succeeds like success.

• talk about routine activities, repeated actions or habits. This use of the present simple is associated with adverbs of frequency.
We usually have our weekly sales meeting on Mondays.
I often travel abroad on business.

We sometimes get complaints, but not many.

2 There are verbs that we normally use only in simple tenses, not in continuous tenses.
For example believe, belong, depend, know, like, love, mean, own, remember, understand, want, etc.
These verbs describe states, not actions.

It depends on the exchange rate (NOT *It is depending ...)
The premises don't belong to them. (NOT *The premises aren't belonging ... )
What do they want? (NOT * What are they wanting ... )

Present continuous
Form
+ I am working
He/She/It is working.
You/We/They are working.
- I am not working.
He/She/It isn't (= is not) working.
You/We/They aren't (= are not) working.
? Am I working?
Is he/she/it working?
Are you/we/they working?
Uses
We use the present continuous to:

• describe activities in progress at the moment of speaking.
She's talking to him on the phone right now.

• describe temporary situations.
The delegation is staying at the Hilton until Friday.

• refer to future arrangements.
He's starting a new job next week.

• describe changing situations.
We're developing a new marketing strategy.

Please follow the following link to practice the Grammar Topic

Skills

1- What sort of presentations have you given? How did you feel?

2- Listen to the beginning of a presentation by Robert Pullin, Director of Human Resources at DCV Fashions, and answer these questions.

1 What is the main aim of the presenter?
2 What kind of audience is he probably addressing?

2- Number the following sentences.

Number these phrases which introduce different sections of the presentation in the order in which they appear.

a) Moving on now to our mission
b) Finally, a word about
c) Thanks very much for listening
d) OK, some basic facts
e) What's the key to our success?

3- Study Case

Choose one of these topics.

• Think about your company or a company you know. Study the Useful language
box below, and use the headings in the chart in Exercise E to help you prepare a
presentation about it.

• Use the facts provided on page 133 to make a presentation about Moda International
Fashion Group (MI FG).

Work in pairs. Make your presentation and answer your partner's questions.
Your audience is a group of young people from a fashion college.