UNIT ONE 1 Presenting companies TO DO Making up questions Reading and talking about some successful businesses Revising the passive voice Talking about watches; body art The aims of a business; products, goods, services; needs & wants Idiomatic expressions with business Two Austrian businesses listening for gist and for detail Presenting companies in writing Role-playing a conversation about a company Talking about tasks and duties in companies from work experience PEP Personal Educational Professional 5
1 UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 1 Getting started: Do you wear a watch? Together with a partner, make up ten questions to do with watches and wearing them. When you have your list of questions, try them out on another pair. Take your time answering the questions. You may want to use follow-up questions. Here are some questions to get you going: 1 Do you sleep with your watch on? 2 How many watches have you got? 3 If you have more than one watch, is there one you never wear? 4 Have you ever worn two watches at once? Example: A: OK, here s our first question. Do you sleep with your watch on? C: Um, oh, no. I always take my watch off before I go to bed. I don't want it to get, um, bits in. Actually, sometimes I forget to put it on in the morning. A: What do you do then? C: Oh, I look at my mobile phone. And there s a clock in every classroom at school. B: They re not always right though. What about you? Do you sleep with your watch on? D: Yeah, I wear my watch in bed. I shower with it, swim with it. No problem. It s really good. It stands up to anything. A: Yes, so does mine! Thank you. Now it s your turn to ask You can listen to the example on Track 1 of the CD. X-FILES Read the following case study and see how quickly you can find out 1 when there was a crisis in the European watch-making industry. 2 two reasons for this crisis. 3 the most successful watch of all time. 4 the world s second largest watch producer. THE PROBLEM Forty years ago the European watch-making industry was in crisis. Customers wanted the new digital watches, not traditional ones. Japanese manufacturers like Seiko and Casio were winning bigger and bigger market shares. The business consultant Nicolas Hayek was called in to make Swiss watch manufacturing competitive again. 6 PEP Personal Educational Professional
UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 1 THE SOLUTION Companies were restructured and a new business focus was found. Then, in 1983, the Swatch, the most successful watch of all time, was launched. The Swiss watch was a truly innovative product. Synthetic materials were used for the watch cases and straps. As there were fewer components, production was streamlined, and assembly was fully automated. The Swatch combined new technology, new materials and manufacturing expertise with daring design and quality. And the price was very reasonable. Young people were targeted in Swatch advertising: Swatches were fun, funky and disposable. Nicolas Hayek went on to become the Chairman of the Swatch Group. Today the Group has R & D laboratories, workshops, factories and boutiques which produce and distribute watch components and watches, and even jewellery. It is the world s second largest watch producer. The original range of Swatch products has been extended and now includes metal Swatches, waterproof Swatches for divers or an internetconnected Swatch that downloads weather forecasts, movie show-times or news headlines, for instance. You can even buy a diamondstudded Swatch. The Group owns luxury brands like Omega and Blancpain as well as Flik Flak (children s watches), Rado and Calvin Klein. The current Chairman of the Swatch Group, Nicolas Hayek s son, Nick Hayek, stresses that his business focus is lifestyle and fashion. According to him, the most successful products have an emotional appeal to a mass market. Find the English equivalents of the following German expressions in the text. Hersteller (2 expressions) Marktanteil wettbewerbsfähig auf den Markt bringen Werbung Labor verteilen Produktpalette Put the appropriate words from the text into the Swatch watch product description. The original Swatch watch was a very..... product. It combined..,.. and...... with and.. The price was...... Advertising targeted people. Swatch watches were meant to be disposable and had a.,. image. Nowadays the Swatch Group s focus is.. and.... Current Chairman Nick Hayek Jr says the best products have an appeal to large numbers of people. PEP Personal Educational Professional 7
1 UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES Make up three questions. Now make up three questions about the Swatch Group, based on the text. See how quickly your classmates can answer them. Remember, remember, Leideform (passive voice) Wir verwenden die Leideform, wenn wir den Handelnden nicht kennen oder wenn wir der Handlung selbst mehr Wert beimessen als dem Handelnden (vgl. PEP 1, Language review 10). Swatches are sold all over the world. The most successful watch ever was launched in 1983. The original range has been extended considerably since then. Practice 1 Make passive voice sentences. Do not mention the agent (Handelnden). Use the words in italics (Kursivschrift) as the subject of your new sentence. Example: Shopkeepers sell Swatches at airports, for example. Swatches are sold at airports, for example. 1 People read this newspaper all over the country.... 2 They opened the new motorway last week.... 3 Somebody has sold the house next door, I understand.... 4 They had discovered the island only three years earlier.... 5 People will hold the next World Cup competition in Brazil.... 6 We did not know that somebody would close the museum on Monday.... K Beachte 1: Wenn uns die handelnde Person wichtig erscheint, so fügen wir sie mit dem Vorwort by hinzu. The letter had been signed by the Director General himself. The lotion is sold by authorised dealers only. 8 PEP Personal Educational Professional
UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 1 K Beachte 2: Wenn ein Zeitwort zwei Ergänzungen hat, so können im Englischen anders als im Deutschen beide zum Satzgegenstand des Leideformsatzes werden. The management had promised the staff a wage increase. A wage increase had been promised to the staff. The staff had been promised a wage increase. Die zweite Version ist gebräuchlicher. Im Deutschen würden wir hier eine Konstruktion mit man und einer Tätigkeitsform oder eine Leideform mit einem unpersönlichen es als Satzgegenstand verwenden. Man hatte der Belegschaft eine Gehaltserhöhung versprochen. Es war der Belegschaft eine Gehaltserhöhung versprochen worden. What s the English for? Use the passive voice in your sentences. 1 Die Firma wurde 1879 von Thomas Alva Edison gegründet. 2 Manche Swatch Modelle sind in Museen ausgestellt (to display). 3 Sind wirklich alle Rechnungen bezahlt worden? 4 Man gab ihnen noch eine Chance. 5 Die Löhne sind gekürzt (to cut) worden. 6 Wann wurden die Waren geliefert? 7 Rohstoffe werden aus der ganzen Welt nach Europa gebracht. 8 Hier werden die Bestandteile zusammengebaut (to assemble). Practice 2 Company profile The following text is about H&M, a well-known clothing company. Fill in the verbs in brackets using the correct active or passive form as appropriate. Mind your tenses! is a Swedish clothing company that (design) cheap but chic clothing, mainly aimed at women in younger age groups. The company was (establish) in Västeras, Sweden, in 1947 by Erling Persson. At the beginning it only (sell) women s clothing and was called Hennes, Swedish for hers. In 1968, Persson (buy) the hunting and men s clothing store Mauritz and the company (rename) Hennes & Mauritz. PEP Personal Educational Professional 9
1 UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES From its Swedish origins, H&M has grown into a multinational clothes and cosmetics retailer. Since the 1960s H&M stores (set up) in many European countries including the UK, Germany, France, Austria, Spain and the Netherlands. Since 2000 H&M (expand) to the USA, the Middle East, Asia, Japan, China and Russia. Today it has more than 2000 outlets in more than 38 countries and an annual turnover of over SEK 94 bn. Every year about 160 new stores (open) worldwide in prime shopping locations. H&M does not have factories of its own but (work) with around 700 independent suppliers. About 60% of its clothing (make) in Asia, the rest in Europe. By offering affordable clothing inspired by the latest fashion trends H&M (become) one of the world s most recognized brands. It is certain that H&M s product and price strategy (enable) the company to continue to grow successfully in the future. Talk about it. 1 1 Is it important to you that your clothes reflect the most recent fashion trends? 2 Give one advantage and one disadvantage of being dressed in the latest style. 3 Do you shop at H&M? If yes, what do you buy there? 4 Do you have another favourite clothing store or brand? Business ABCs: Some basic questions Read the Business ABCs and then decide on the best heading for each section. Put it in the right place. What does a business need in order to operate? What is a business? Why do we buy products? What s the aim of a business? 10 PEP Personal Educational Professional
UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 1 1 A business is an organisation that is set up by one or more people to provide products. These products could be, for example, yoghurt or computers (goods), or tutoring sessions for students or beauty in the shape of hair-cuts, manicures, facials etc. (services). 2 Businesses want to operate at a profit. However, some businesses may have non-material aims, too. For example, they want to raise environmental awareness or integrate fringe groups of society, like the disabled or long-term unemployed people. In order to operate, businesses need various resources: 3 4 raw materials (for example milk, and possibly fruit, to make yoghurt; wood, metal ores etc.) manufactured goods (for example machines and tools; also sheet metal, plastic, chips and other components for making computers, office supplies etc.) capital (money) in order to pay for raw materials, machines, parts and packaging and to pay bills for office space, utilities, wages and taxes labour (workers) We have to satisfy certain basic needs in order to survive. We need food and drink, shelter and clothing. wants or desires for more: more clothes in trendy styles; entertainment (TV, MP3 players ); recreation (package holidays, sports equipment ); mobility (motor scooters, quad bikes ) Our wants increase and change all the time. We could say they are unlimited. Mark the following statements true (T) or false (F). 1 Raw materials are needed in order to pay wages and taxes. O O 2 A business must have capital and labour in order to function. O O 3 Most businesses have non-material aims. O O 4 A business must consist of at least two people. O O 5 Selling package holidays is a service. O O If the sentences are false, try to correct them. Make up two T / F sentences of your own about the ABCs text and try them out on a classmate. T F PEP Personal Educational Professional 11
1 UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES Talk about it. 2 1 Which of the things below do you think are needs? Which of them are wants? Compare your results with a partner. a place to sleep out of the rain a big ranch-style house with a swimming pool new clothes every season new mobile phone flat-screen TV birthday cake shoes something to drink warm bedclothes or blankets heating double glazing medication bread 2 Talk to a partner about why you need these things. TOOLBOX It s extremely important to have because The purpose of is to You need in order to / to You need so that Body art pictured in magazines wearing their latest body art. This has made tattoos and piercing fashionable, and countless tattoo and piercing businesses have opened. example, studied Fine Arts before becoming a tattoo artist. His work is strongly influenced by the traditional tattoo masters of Hawaii and Japan. artists at Tattoo City, his studio in San Francisco. He insists on the highest standards of design and hygiene in their work. Hardy designs have also been licensed to clothing manufacturers. The first Ed Hardy clothing line was produced in 2002. Subsequently the successful Ed Hardy brand was launched by Christian Audigier. sport. His Ed Hardy line, and imitations of it, have proved very popular with young people. Talk about it. 3 1 Are tattoos, body jewellery and Ed Hardy t-shirts wants or needs? 2 Why do you think the highest standards of hygiene are important in the body art industry? 3 Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo or a piece of body jewellery like a lip or eyebrow ring or stud, or a nose or forehead jewel? 4 Would you be willing to pay the equivalent of 150 to 200 for an original Ed Hardy t-shirt? Why / Why not? 12 PEP Personal Educational Professional
UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 1 Internet activity Ed Hardy http://www.tattoocitysf.com/. You can find out what happens there, browse the artists tattoo portfolios and decide if you like the Ed Hardy line of clothing. http://donedhardy.com/ you can see how Christian Audigier uses celebrities in his marketing and find out which other products are available in addition to t-shirts. Monkey business Here are some phrases with the word business in them. See if you can match the phrases with the definitions. Phrases Definitions 1 business as usual a Behave yourself! Don t try to trick me! 2 business card b situation that has returned to its normal state after something unpleasant or surprising has happened 3 to get down to business c not to be so curious about what others are doing 4 to mind your own business d to begin seriously doing something you need to do 5 mom-and-pop business e small card with a person s name, business affiliation, job title, contact details printed on it 6 monkey business f the entertainment business 7 (No) funny business! g small, independent and often family-run corner shop-type business 8 show business h silly or unacceptable behaviour 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. Complete the sentences with the appropriate phrase from the list. Careful you may need to change the forms of nouns, verbs or pronouns. 1 They started out with just one. in the district where they lived. 2 She s one of the all-time greats in.. 3 Cut out the! said the gym teacher angrily. 4 Mrs Fox is so nosy! One of these days I m going to tell her.... 5 No! You ll regret it! shouted the detective. 6 We ve been putting off talking about finances. Let s.. 7 The day after the fire it was at the high school. 8 If you do business in Japan, you need lots of.. PEP Personal Educational Professional 13
1 UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 2 Communication for business Listening: Two Austrian businesses Listen to the two people talking about their businesses. They are very enthusiastic and talk a lot, so don t worry about understanding all the things they say the first time you listen. Just try to get an overall impression of what the recording is about. Take brief notes, concentrating on: You write Use your notes to write a sentence about each business, as in the example. Choose the appropriate adjective in each case. Example: Business X is an unsuccessful Austrian business that makes umbrella handles out of recycled plastic. Business 1 is a successful / unsuccessful business that... Business 2 is a thriving / struggling business that... 2 Now listen to the CD again and concentrate on details. Check the different headings before you start listening. As you listen, fill in as much information as you can in the table below. Work together with someone else and compare what you have written down afterwards. Business 1 Business 2 Size Size Type of business Type of business Location(s) Location(s) Founded when? Founded when? Founded by whom? Founded by whom? Workforce Workforce Achievements Achievements 14 PEP Personal Educational Professional
UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 1 Answer the following questions. 1 What was the big idea that made business 1 successful? 2 Business 1 has a number of aims in addition to making a profit. What are they? 3 Does business 2 have any additional aims? 4 Why do you think people buy business 1 s products? 5 What kinds of people make use of business 2 s services? 6 Which extra service offered by business 2 is quite popular? Internet activity Webquest Go to http://www.wetterreisen.at and find the answers to the questions: 1 How many weather trips are offered? 2 Where can you go? 3 What is the focus of the trip(s)? 4 What can you learn about? 5 What kind of accommodation and food are offered? 6 If you won a trip like this, would you be pleased? Company profiles 1 It was your idea to go on one of those weather trips. The following mind map shows you some of the aspects you can talk or write about when you have to present a company. Competitors Name Product Range Major achievements Company Profile History (founder ) Company Structure Turnover / Profit Workforce (headquarters, locations ) PEP Personal Educational Professional 15
1 UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES The text below is about Casio Ltd. Check how many aspects from the mind map are covered in the company profile. Computer Co., Ltd. is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The company employs more than 13,000 employees worldwide and has an annual turnover of about 5 billion US Dollars. Today, Casio is known for durable, largesized watches. Other products include calculators, cash registers, digital cameras, laptops, mobile phones, musical keyboards, PDAs, electronic dictionaries, computer printers and portable televisions. Casio was founded in April 1946 by Tadao Kashio, an engineer specializing in fabrication technology. The first product Kashio developed was the yubiwa pipe. This was a finger ring that allowed the wearer to smoke a cigarette while keeping the hands free. When he saw the electric calculators at a Business Show in Tokyo in 1949, Kashio and his younger brothers decided to develop their own calculators, using their profits from the yubiwa pipe. In 1957 the world's first all-electric compact calculator was released. Since this time Casio s product range has been extended. In the 1980s, budget electronic instruments and home keyboards were introduced. The company was also one of the first manufacturers of watches that could display the time in many different time zones and of watches with temperature, altitude, and even GPS position displays. Role-play: Talking about your company Study the information below about the Austrian watch manufacturer Jacques Lemans. Name gegründet Produkte Umsatz pro Jahr Angestellte Sitz Ziele Niederlassungen Jacques Lemans 1977 von den Brüdern Alfred und Norbert Riedl Hochqualitative Uhren aus besten Materialien, die in mehr als 110 Ländern an ausgewählten und exklusiven Standorten erhältlich sind. Pro Jahr werden in Österreich ca. 200.000 produziert. ca. 250 300 Millionen Euro ca. 200 weltweit St. Veit an der Glan/Kärnten Höchste Kundenzufriedenheit, exzellentes und schnelles Service mehrere im Ausland 16 PEP Personal Educational Professional
UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES 1 A representative of Jacques Lemans is being interviewed. Work out what the interviewer (A) and the representative (B) say. Then act out the conversation with a partner using the role cards. A INTERVIEWER B REPRESENTATIVE Explain that you are going to ask some questions about B's company. Ask its name. Ask about the company history. Ask about headquarters and branches. Ask what the company produces. Ask where and how many of these products are sold. Ask about annual turnover. Ask about the number of employees. Ask about the aims of the company. Thank B for answering your questions. Give name. Say when it was founded and by whom. Provide details. Describe products. Provide information required. Give approximate figure. Give approximate figure. Explain what these are. Company profiles 2 Have you worked in a training firm? Do you work in one right now? Have you had some other kind of work experience with a company or organization? If yes, answer the questions. 1 What is the name of the training firm / company / organization? 2 Which products / services does it sell? 3 Which departments are there? 4 What else can you say about it? Refer back to the Company profiles mind map. Talking about tasks and duties 1 Look at the list of tasks in a (training) firm and talk about the duties you have / had to fulfil. Typical tasks in a training firm accounts, ) faxes, ) partners PEP Personal Educational Professional 17
1 UNIT ONE: PRESENTING COMPANIES TOOLBOX I have / had to I am / was responsible for I am / was in charge of My task is / was to 2 Interview another student in your class about her / his work experience or experience in the training firm. CHECKLIST REVIEW OK I can form and ask questions about a given topic. I can scan or listen for missing information to complete a written text. I can use the passive voice correctly. I am familiar with the use and meaning of some basic business terms business, product, goods, services, wants and needs. I know some idiomatic expressions with business. I can retrieve and use information from the internet about Ed Hardy t-shirts and weather tours. I can write a summary of the main point of a spoken profile. I can pick out details from a spoken description to complete a company profile. I know which aspects are included in a company profile. I can give information about a business in an interview. I can talk about my work experience and the tasks I had / have to fulfil. 18 PEP Personal Educational Professional