talkaboutbusiness.pdf

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)

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:

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

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

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

to introduce

- wprowadzić

boss

- średnich rozmiarów

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