Английский язык для бакалавров

 

3 Key vocabulary / expressions

be well-suited [welsju:tıd] – v соответствовать

brisk – adj сильный

comprise [kəm'praız] – v включать, содержать; охватывать

go bankrupt ['bæŋkrÙpt] – обанкротиться

inevitable [ı´nevıtәbl] –  adj неизбежный

maturity [mәֽtjυə'rıtı] – n  зрелость; mature adj завершенный

overwhelm – v ошеломлять, подавлять

revenue ['revınju:] – n доход

survive [sз:´vaıv] – v выжить; survival – n выживание

take into account – принимать во внимание

 

5 Prepositional phrasal verbs  

Translate the sentences keeping in mind that the prepositions after the verbs change their usual meaning

run

1. I am on the run all day with this documentation.

2. We were lucky to run across her yesterday.

3. The natural resources of Earth are nearly to run down.

4. The investor ran through the Business plan and returned to the Summary.

5. The lease runs for five years.

6. The book has a considerable run.

 

4 Match the halves of the following questions.

Could you                                       not smoking, please?

Would you mind                                switch off your laptop, please?

Can you tell me    make sure the letter is received?

Would you please    what is the time now, please?

Could I ask you     send an e-mail?

Is there somewhere I could  borrow your mobile?

to wait for me outside?

 

5 On the worksheet below, describe the impact, if any, the various seasons have on the economic health of your industry and business. Also describe any additional seasonal factors. Do it in the most detailed way.

 

HOW SEASONAL FACTORS AFFECT YOUR INDUSTRY

Christmas/Any other holiday:____________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Summer:_____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Winter:______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Other: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

6 Test your own attention. Find English equivalents in the text

стадии зрелости промышленности__________________________________

освоиться с товаром или услугой___________________________________

объем продаж___________________________________________________

предметы личной гигиены_________________________________________

потребительские товары___________________________________________

предприятия, имеющие отношение к туризму_________________________

не быть подверженным экономическим циклам_______________________

________________________________________________________________

 

7 Additional information from practitioners.

Read and express your own opinion on the following. What will you do in your business to better deal with an economical downturn?

   “With a $100 million company, it is vital that I’m tuned in to what’s happening in our industry and with national and global economic trends, so I can take steps both in marketing and pricing that will lead my competitors. I look at least six months ahead. To deal with economic downturns, you must be less aggressive with pricing. You plan for these times by marshalling your resources and building up liquidity to take care of the rainy day. The trick is to accurately predict what is happening out there, and to decide whether to scale back on capital expenditures or new acquisitions. Knowing when to pull back differentiates the successes from the potential disasters. And when you can see the bottom of the downturn, resume a more aggressive approach.”

Andre Tatibouet, President, Ashton hotels

 

8 Word building. Translate the words paying attention to their suffixes

    Memorise the words with the same stem

evolve – evolution – evolutionist – evolutionism  – evolutionary – evolutional

environ – environment – environmentalism – environmentalist – environs

 

9 Read the text. Underline the main concerns of the environmentalists. Discuss them with your partner. Explain the italicized phrases in the most detailed manner.

      Environmentalism is an organized movement of concerned citizens and government to protect and enhance people’s living environment. Environmentalists are the public concerned with strip mining, forest depletion, factory smoke, billboards; with the loss of recreational opportunity; and with the increase in health problems caused by bad air, water, and chemically sprayed food. Environmentalist is a person who tries to prevent the environment from being spoilt. Environmentalists are not against marketing and consumption; they simply want businesses and consumers to operate on more ecological principles. They think the goal of the marketing system should be to maximize life quality of the environment. They require business to invest in antipollution device, taxing nonreturnable bottles, and banning high–phosphate detergents. These measures are as necessary to induce businesses and consumers to act in environmentally sound ways.

 

LESSON 3

1 Read the text

ABOUT COMPETITION

1. In business it is imperative to see who’s gaining on you. It is far better to know what you’re up against than to be surprised when your sales suddenly disappear to an unexpected competitor.

2. Every business on the globe has competition. Those currently operating a company are all too aware of the many competitors for customer’s money. One of the very worst statements is “We have no competition” because it indicates that either:

• the realities of business have not been fully examined or
• there is no market for this concept.

3. We can see this by looking at the example of the photocopier. When the first one was invented, no competition existed from other makers of photocopiers. But competition still came from many sources, including suppliers of carbon paper and mimeograph machines. And if the copier work was receptive, future competition could realistically be projected. No competition truly existed at the time it was invented because people simply weren’t duplicating documents.

4. Honest evaluation of the competition will help better understand one’s own product or service and give investors a reassuring sense of the company’s strengths. It enables to know how best to distinguish the company in the customer’s eyes, and it points to opportunities in the market. The basic concept of competition is responsiveness to customers, and watching the competitors around can help understand what customers want.

5. As you begin your competitive assessment, keep in mind that you need to evaluate only those competitors aiming for the same target market.  For instance, if you own a fine French restaurant in midtown Manhattan, you don’t have to include the McDonald’s next door in your competitive evaluation: You’re not aiming for the same customer   at   the same time.  On the other hand, if you are thinking of opening the first *sports memorabilia shop in Alaska1,  you  have to look far  afield, at any such retail stores in Seattle or Vancouver and mail-order dealers from all over the world, as that is where your potential customers shop now.

6. When analyzing your competitors, focus on identifying:

• Who your major competitors are.
• On what basis you compete.
• How you compare.
• Potential future competitors.
• Barriers to entry for new competitors.

7. Competitive position. It is tempting to want to judge your competition solely on the basis of whether your product or service is better than theirs. If you have invented a clearly superior widget, it is comforting to imagine that widget customers will naturally buy your product instead of the competitors’ and the money will roll in. Unfortunately, many other factors will determine your success in comparison to other manufacturers of widgets. Perhaps their widgets are much cheaper. Perhaps their distribution system makes it easier for them to get placement in stores. Or maybe customers just like the color of your competitors’ packages better.

8. The objective features of your product or service may be a relatively small part of the competitive picture. In fact, all the components of customer preference, including price, service, and location, are only half of the competitive analysis. The other half of the equation is examining the internal strength of your competitors’ companies.  In the long run, companies with significant financial resources, highly motivated or creative personnel, and other operational assets *will prove to be tough, enduring competition2.

 9. Customer perception factors. When doing your analysis, consider these customer perception factors:

• Product/service features. Specific inherent attributes of the product or service itself; if key features are particularly important, list separately.
• Indirect/peripheral costs.  *Costs other than the actual purchase price3, such as installation or additional equipment required.
• Quality. Inherent merit of the product or service at the time it is provided.
• Durability/maintenance. Quality of the product/service over time; ease of maintenance and service.
• Image/style/perceived value. Added values derived from design features, attractive packaging or   presentation, and other intangibles.
• Customer relationships. Established customer base and customer loyalty; relationships of sales personnel to customers.
• Social image. Perception of the company, product, or service relative to issues such as environment, civic involvement, etc.

 

2 Explanations to the text

1.  … sports memorabilia shop in Alaska – магазин спортивных сувениров на

   Аляске

2.  …will prove to be tough, enduring competition – докажут свою способность

   к упорной и длительной конкурентной борьбе. 

3.  …costs other than the actual purchase price – не действительная закупочная

   цена, а другие затраты.

 

3 Key vocabulary / expressions

be tough [tÙf] – быть жecтким (yпopным, cтoйким)

be up against – cтoлкнyтьcя c тpyднocтями

bridge a gap – ликвидиpoвaть пpoбeл

game plan – pиcкoвaнный плaн

intangible [ın´tænʤıbl] – adj нeyлoвимый; нeпocтижимoe

mimeograph [maım´ougrα:f] machine – мнoжитeльный aппapaт

perception [pә´sepòn] – n восприятие

 

4 General understanding. Answer the questions to the text

1. What is the worst statement you can make in a business plan and why?

2. What will help you better understand your product or service?

3. What do you learn from your competition?

4. What factors will determine your success in comparison to other manufactu-

  rers of widgets?

 

5 Prepositional phrasal verbs. Translate the sentences keeping in mind that the prepositions after the verbs change their familiar meaning

put

1. We`ve put some money aside for a holiday.

2. They`ve put the wedding off for a month.

3. Why don`t you put a thicker jumper on?

4. He eats like a horse but never puts on weight.

5. Firefighters managed to put the fire out after two hours.

6. Could you put me through to the Manager, please?

 

6 Read the derivatives correctly and translate them paying attention to the suffixes

compete – competence – competent – competitioner – competitive – competitor – competition – competitiveness

 

7 Complete the following sentences using any word given above

1. There is a lot of _________________ among chocolate producers.
2. Nescafe’s main ________________ is Caferoma at present.
3. Vitek needs to ________________ at home and abroad.
4. To be successful in business one needs to reach a _____________ edge.
5. There were many ___________________ for a vacant position.
6. Being ______________ is very important for any business.
7. A successful businessperson needs to assess __________ of his business on

  the market from time to time. 

 

8 Additional information from a practitioner.

Read, translate and discuss the situation with your partner. Express your own opinion on the following

Get to know and assess competition over time. Continually evaluate them as to approach, style, strategy and personnel. You need to have a book on your competition. Don’t allow yourself to be awed by an opponent, or, on the other hand, to have contempt for them. Don’t allow the extremes of your emotions to dictate your assessment of the competition. Never overreact to a great deal of success or failure, either your own or the competitor’s.

Ray Genick, President GenrayCorp.

 

9 Find the following words and word combinations in the texts of the lesson. Read the sentences and ask questions to them

competitive picture, distribution system, objective features, honest evaluation, strategic partnerships, assessment of the competition, the process of moving goods

 

10 Read the texts as part of your self-study. Make a short summary.

Future Competition

Finally, in your competitive analysis you have to do a little fortune telling. You must make a few reasonable predictions of what the competition is going to look like in the future. New competitors enter markets all the time, and sometimes current competitors drop out. Who are your new competitors likely to be? If you are introducing a new product or service, how long will you have the field to yourself before other competitors jump in?

Forecasting the competitive situation over the next five years or so, based on logical conclusions from concrete evidence, such as current product lines, gives you and potential investors a better sense of the long-term viability of your business. One of the most important factors to examine is barriers to entry, that is, those conditions that make it difficult or impossible for new competitors to enter the market. Every company can gain a sense of how best to prepare for future competition by examining the barriers to entry. If your company’s competitive position depends on new technology, new manufacturing techniques, or access to new markets, outlining the barriers to entry is essential. This will be one of the first areas judged by potential funding sources.

Barriers to Entry.

Some common barriers to entry for new competition are:

• Patents, which provide a measure of protection for new products or processes.
• High start-up costs, which effectively protect against small competitors entering the field.
• Substantial expertise required or manufacturing and engineering difficulties, which makes it difficult for competitors to have the knowledge to compete
• Market saturation, which reduces the possibility of competitors gaining a meaningful foothold.

Realistically, few barriers to entry last very long, particularly in newer industries. Even patents do not provide nearly as much protection as is generally assumed. Thus, you need to realistically project the period of time by which new competitors will breach these barriers.

 

LESSON 4

1 Read the text

Tell them what they get,

not what you do.

A few tips of marketing

1. Reaching customers is key to successful business. If you can’t reach customers, you can’t stay in business. It’s the most basic business truth. That’s why an effective marketing plan to contact and motivate customers is vital for business success. Because reaching customers costs money, and money is always limited, marketing strategy must be carefully and thoughtfully designed.

2. So, what is “marketing” first?

It is the process associated with promoting for sale goods or services. What messages does a company give to motivate them to buy a product or service? Traditional marketing experts emphasize the elements described below, “The Four P’s”, in influencing customers to buy. They are known also as the classic components of marketing:

• Product. The design and quality and the tangible aspects of the product or service itself.
• Price. The cost advantage or determination of price.
• Place. The location’s convenience and décor or selection and design of distribution channels.
• Promotion. How you advertise, what discounts you offer and how you promote your product.

3. But still these elements leave a lot out of the marketing picture, especially as customers have become more discriminating over the years and look for products or services not just to fill an immediate need but also to enhance their overall sense of well being.

4. Most marketing strategists agree that people buy and businesses sell benefits, not features. Finding the marketing concept is critical. There exists “philosophy of marketing a product or service that is benefit oriented rather than product oriented. For example, a successful marketing concept in the perfume industry is that the industry is in the business of selling dreams, sex, and romance – that is, the benefits to be derived from perfume, but not the perfume itself.” (From the Dictionary of Business Terms, Baron’s Business Guides).

5. The customers are more concerned also about how a purchase will affect their lives than about how the company achieves those results. So a company marketing message must tell customers what they get, such as security or an enhanced self-image, rather then just the detailed specifics of what the company product or service does.

6. “The Five F’s” shown below, are a convenient way to sum up what customers want.

• Functions. How does the product or service meet their concrete needs?
• Finances. How will the purchase affect their overall financial situation, not just the price of the product or service, but other savings and increased productivity?
• Freedom. How convenient is it to purchase and use the product or service? How will they gain more time and less worry in other aspects of their lives?
• Feelings. How does the product or service make customers feel about themselves, and how it affects and relates to their self-image, and will they like and respect the salesperson and the company?
• Future. How will they deal with the product or service and company over time, whether support and service will be available? How will the product or service affect their lives in the coming years, and will they have an increased sense of security about the future?