! talk about business, Angielski, ! BBC
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Talk About Business
Lesson 1
Strategy
The CEO spent his first months in the job talking to managers in
the company and formulating his strategy document.
The day came for him to make his presentation to the directors.
They were pleased to hear him say that in future the company
would focus on long-term growth, and that he was setting new
goals in all areas of the business.
‘To sum up,’ he said, ‘this company’s strategy is 15% growth over
the next ten years.’
He sat down, looking pleased with himself, and asked for
questions.
‘Yes,’ said one of the directors, ‘you’ve just told us what the
company’s goal should be, but what we asked you for was a
strategy!’
the CEO
= the Chief Executive Officer, dyrektor
naczelny
job
- praca, stanowisko
to formulate
- formułować, opracować
strategy document
- dokument przedstawiający strategię/plan
działania
to make a presentation
- zrobić prezentację
long-term growth
- wzrost długoterminowy
to set a goal
- wyznaczyć cel
area
- dziedzina
to sum up
- podsumować
to look pleased with oneself
- być z siebie zadowolonym
objaśnienia:
you
do
or
make
or
give
a presentation
uzupełnij zdania:
1. He (showed, made, said) a presentation on the company’s new strategy.
2. In the presentation he also (put, fixed, set) new goals in all areas of the
business.
3. He said that in future the company would focus on long-term (growth,
grow, growing)
1
company
- firma, przedsiębiorstwo
to focus
- koncentrować się
odpowiedzi:
1. made
2. set
3. growth
Lesson 2
A goal and a strategy
ANURAG
I feel it is a destination and not a path. This is the objective which
the company needs to achieve. And not how it will be achieved.
ANDREW
So, it’s not actually focusing on a strategy. It’s a direction for the
companies to go in. Where do you stand on this one, Meri?
MERI
I totally agree, 15% is a goal and goals are measures of
achievement. A strategy is something else. It’s a way to bridge
certain goals, but it’s not just a measure.
ANDREW
It seems to be a very sort of vague idea of what he’s expecting
from the company.
FRED
Strategy is a structured way of thinking about what you’re doing
as an organisation and it’s really got two elements: where do we
want to be in the future and how do we get there? So I would
say it’s really both a destination and a goal and also the journey
or the map of how to get to that destination.
goal
- cel, założenie
strategy
- strategia
destination
- punkt docelowy, cel podróży
objective
- cel, założenie
to achieve
- osiągać
to focus
- koncentrować się (na czymś)
direction
- kierunek
measure
- tu: miara
achievement
- osiągnięcie
way
- droga, sposób
to bridge
- przerzucić most, wypełnić lukę, usunąć
przepaść
vague
- mętny, mglisty, mało precyzyjny
objaśnienia:
2
path
- droga
a direction for the company to go in - kierunek, w jakim powinna pójść firma
where do you stand on that? – co o tym sądzisz? jaką masz w tej sprawie
opinię?
uzupełnij zdania:
1. You (gain, attain, achieve) objectives.
2. What do you think about it? Where do you (sit, stand, lie) on that?
3. A strategy is about (how, what, why) we achieve our goals.
odpowiedzi:
1. achieve
2. stand
3. how
Lesson 3
Market research
The marketing director for a snack company had a gut feeling that the
idea for a new flavour salty snack was a winner. She commissioned
some market research: consumer tests and focus groups. When the
results of the research came back she was surprised. Consumer tests
showed the public didn’t like the product much and focus groups gave
the idea a 65% disapproval rating. But the marketing director was sure
her feeling was right.
‘I want to remind you all what Henry Ford said about the motor car. He
said, ‘If I’d listened to my customers I’d have given them a faster
horse.’
‘What exactly are you saying?’ the sales manager asked.
‘We should launch the product anyway,’ answered the marketing
director.
market research
- badania rynku
the marketing director
- dyrektor działu marketingu
snack
- przekąska, zakąska
gut feeling
- uczucie instynktowne, intuicyjne (dosł: płynące
z ‘bebechów’)
flavour
- smak
salty
- słony
a winner
- tu: sukces
to commission
- zamówić, zlecić
consumer tests
- badania opinii klientów
focus group
- grupa dyskusyjna
disapproval rating
- stopień dezaprobaty
to remind
- przypominać
3
motor car
- samochód
horse
- koń
to launch a product
- wprowadzić/wypuścić produkt na rynek
objaśnienia:
the idea was a winner – pomysł okazał się wielkim sukcesem
uzupełnij zdania:
1. I am sure that our new product will be a (victor, champion, winner).
2. How do I know? My (gut, bowel, insider) feeling tells me so.
3. But maybe we should (commit, commission, contract) some market
research too.
odpowiedzi:
1. winner
2. gut
3. commission
Lesson 4
Market research
ANDREW
Do you believe that products should only ever be launched if market
research shows that they are likely to be successful? Anybody any
ideas?
OXANA
Yes, I would agree with your statement because if a company goes
with the intuition of the marketing director, it’s going to be introducing
the product that marketing director finds correct but not what the
customer wants and since the whole point of market research is
finding out the opinion of the customers then in this case it’s very
obvious that the product shouldn’t be taken ahead.
ANDREW Would you agree with that Meri?
MERI
Well, that’s right but in some cases market research is not so
appropriate for new products. In this case it’s very likely that the product
might be a success when they launch it into the market because new
products are difficult to understand for customers. As an example,
Xerox wanted to launch their new copying machines many years ago
and they commissioned a market research study and they come back
with only 8,000 machines sold. They still launched because they
believed in the idea and the product sold 80,000 machines. The reason
was that customers could not know how they would react to a product
that they don’t know.
to launch a product
- wprowadzić/wypuścić produkt na rynek
4
market research
- badania rynku
successful
- odnoszący sukcesy
statement
- stwierdzenie
customer
- klient
to take ahead
- pójść z czymś dalej; tu: wprowadzić produkt na rynek
appropriate
- odpowiedni
copying machines
- fotokopiarki (skrót od: photocopying machines)
to commission
- zlecić, zamówić
uzupełnij zdania:
1. When you introduce a new product on the market, you (lunch, launch, lift)
it.
2. In some cases market research is not appropriate (on, at, for) new
products.
3. Sometimes customers don’t know how they might react (to, for, at) a new
product.
odpowiedzi:
1. launch
2. for
3. to
Lesson 5
Innovation
Milo was the boss of a medium-sized toy manufacturer. He had a
lot of management qualifications and he’d read all the latest
business books. From these he knew that companies like his had
to innovate or die. So, every Tuesday afternoon, he called his top
people together for a brainstorm session. He was rarely satisfied
with the ideas they had. In despair, he assigned two executives
to a month’s blue sky thinking. Still he wasn’t happy with the
results.
‘What’s wrong with you all?’ Milo asked. ‘Why is it so difficult to
come up with winning ideas?’
‘Sorry Milo,’ said one of the blue-sky thinkers. ‘But how do we
know what’s a good idea and what isn’t? How do we know how
you judge those ideas ?
innovation
- innowacje
medium-sized
- dyrektor, kierownik, zwierzchnik, szef
toy manufacturer
- firma produkująca zabawki
management qualifications
- kwalifikacje menedżerskie
5
to introduce
- wprowadzić
boss
- średnich rozmiarów
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