Task 3. Complete the sentences below with words and phrases from the box.

share price   workforce profit turnover subsidiary market share  head office

1. The amount of money a company receives from sales in a particular period is called its ____________.

2. The money a company makes after taking away its costs is its ______________.

3. A company, which is more than 50% owned by a parent 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 organization is its ____________________.

7. The cost of a company’s shares is its ____________.

 

Task 4. Complete the extract from a company report with appropriate words or phrases from the box in task 1.

Financial Performance

I am pleased to say the company has continued its excellent performance. We are changing, growing and doing well at a difficult time for the industry. 1 _________________ was $57.2 million, an increase of 15% on last year, and 2 _____________ rose by 5% to $6.4 million.

We are a highly competitive business. We have increased our 3 _________________ to 20%. Consequently, our 4 _____________ has risen and is now at all-time high of 49.6.

Increased production and strong demand have had a positive effect on our cash flow, so we are able to finance a number of new projects. We have successfully moved to our new 5 ___________ in central London. We are now planning to start full production at the recently opened Spanish 6 _______________ in October.

 Finally, thanks once again to our loyal and dedicated 7 ______________. Our employees will always be our most valuable asset.

 

Task 5. Complete the chart below with the information from the box. Then make sentences about companies.

Peugeot Benetton 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 services provider	American
Bayer		German
	Clothing manufacturer
Sony	Electronic goods maker

 

Task 6. Match words with their definitions. Then speak about some company’s milestones.

go public	1. sell in overseas markets
go international	2. trade on the Net
launch a brand	3. offer shares on the stock market
go online	4. introduce a brand
achieve sales	5. set up new stores
establish new stores	6. reach a sales target

Task 7. Complete this job advertisement with the right verb from the box, put the verb in the right form.

look have offer employ be offer  prepare consider need grow

 

Sales Manager

We 1 _______ one of the largest mobile phone retailers in Europe. We 2 ________ independent and impartial advice on mobile phones. We 3 __________ more than 800 stores in 10 countries, and we 4 _________ fast. We 5 ____________ over 3000 workers. Currently we 6 __________ the next stage in our development, and we 7 ____________ for major growth outside Europe.

We 8 _________ for people who are reliable, confident and enthusiastic. We 9 ___________ experienced people who want to work for an expanding company. We 10 _____________ a competitive salary and private health insurance. We are willing to reward staff with attractive performance-based bonuses.

 

Task 8. Match the sectors to the examples of products or services they offer.

pharmaceuticals	computer programming
construction	supermarkets
finance	drugs
IT	bridges
media	credit cards
retailing	women’s magazines
telecommunications	trucks
transport	telephone services

Task 9. Complete this article with the correct word.

I am sorry to say the company has not performed well this year. 1 ___________ was $ 35 million, a decrease of 12 % on the last year, and 2 ____________ fell by 15% to $ 1.4 million.

We are in a highly competitive industry. Our 3 __________ share has decreased from 21% to 17%. The company’s share 4 ____________ has fallen and is now at an all-time low of 43 cents. Falling production and weak demand have had a negative effect on our plans, so we are now unable to 5 ___________ the new projects that we announced earlier.

In these difficult conditions, our employees remain our most valuable 6 ___________, and I would like to thank them for their efforts in the last year. I ask the 7 ___________ to be prepared for some difficult decisions in the year ahead.

 

1. a) overturn b) turnround c) turnover

2. a) benefits b) profits c) payments

3. a) market b) sales c) product

4. a) charge b) fee c) price

5. a) cash b) finance c) money

6. a) assembly b) assignment c) asset

7. a) workforce b) manpower c) payroll

Task 10. Invent a company. Work in pairs. Make a presentation about your company. Ask questions after your partners’ presentation.

To make an effective presentation you should:

Introduce yourself (name, position, company);

Outline the structure of your talk;

Summarize your main points.

In your presentation you can: