- •Contents
- •Economic issue: companies
- •Xerox takes road towards reinvention
- •Unit 1
- •Xerox takes road towards reinvention
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •In groups discuss the following.
- •Unbundling вт
- •Unit 2 unbundling bt
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combination given below.
- •In groups discuss the following questions.
- •In groups discuss the following.
- •The perfect deal that keeps everyone happy
- •Unit 3 the pefect deal that keeps everyone happy
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Split into two groups and discuss the following questions.
- •Merger reveals details of mittal empire
- •Unit 4 merger reveals details of mittal empire
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Bargains from cyberspace free for the asking
- •Unit 5 bargains from cyberspace free for the asking
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •In groups discuss the following.
- •Canada adds sparkle to de beers' strategy
- •Unit 6 canada adds sparkle to de beers’ strategy
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Shell shake-up fails to fuel optimism
- •Unit 7 shell shake-up fails to fuel optimism
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Read the following text for additional information. How marketing adds utility to goods and services
- •Managers break the last taboo
- •Unit 8 managers break the last taboo
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •In groups discuss the following.
- •Contrite executives play the blame and shame game
- •Unit 9 contrite executives play the blame and shame game
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Economic issue: risk management
- •Ready for when things go wrong
- •Unit 10 ready for when things go wrong
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Debate the following statement: “Businesses are responsible for the products they make and should be liable for any and all injuries sustained by customers using them”.
- •In pairs make up a dialogue between a risk manager in a major corporation and a journalist. Talk about what he or she does and what the challenges are.
- •Wanted: less bang for your buck
- •Unit 11 wanted:less bang for your buck
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Match the following kinds of automobile insurance with their explanations.
- •How to measure the immeasurable
- •Unit 12 how to measure the immesurable
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Prepare the report: The difference between pure and speculative risks, how they can be covered by insurance.
- •Too careful and you can choke
- •Unit 13 too careful and you can choke
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Match the following kinds of risk insurance with their explanations.
- •In groups discuss the following questions.
- •A good name is everything
- •Unit 14 a good name is everything
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Discuss in groups the following questions.
- •Find any insurance policy. Bring some policies to class and discuss them. Do you understand what is covered and what is not? Should policies be clearer? Why aren’t they?
- •A) Find some information about such careers as actuary and claims adjuster for an insurance company. Report your findings to class and discuss these careers.
- •Economic issue: advertising
- •A hard line on flights of fancy
- •Unit 15 a hard line on flights of fancy
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •In groups discuss the following.
- •Economic issue: internet advertising
- •Growth at different speeds
- •Unit 16 growth at different speeds
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Such stuff as dreams are made on
- •Unit 17 such stuff as dreams are made on
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Prepare the following reports and discuss them in groups.
- •Economic issue: banking
- •Banker’s profit from attention to detail
- •Unit 18 banker’s profit from attention to detail
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •In groups discuss the following questions.
- •Economic issue: employment
- •Australia fights for quota of non-it staff
- •Unit 19 australia fights for quota of non-it staff
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Match the following kinds of compensating employees with their explanations.
- •Economic issue: taxation
- •Business 'more wary about tax affairs'
- •Unit 20 business ‘more wary about tax affairs’
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •7. Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Caught in a legal trap of suspicious minds
- •Unit 21 caught in a legal trap of suspicious minds
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Reread the text. Match the names of the people from the text in the left-side column with the positions they hold in the right-side column.
- •In groups discuss the following.
- •London's dirty secret
- •Unit 22 london's dirty secret
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •In groups discuss the following.
- •The federation is 'over-governed'
- •Unit 23 the federation is 'over-governed'
- •Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.
- •Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.
- •Read the text again and answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.
- •Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.
- •Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.
- •Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
- •Discuss in groups the following questions.
Make up your own sentences using the words and word combinations given below.
To build a diamond mine, to channel exploration budget to, to sign a flurry of joint ventures, to make a crucial shift, to mirror recent emphasis on partnerships in diamond marketing and distribution, to shun prospectors, to endear, to shut out of, to come on stream, to operate mines.
You opened a small grocery store in a neighbourhood where the majority of the residents are over 65. Most of the neighbourhood lives on low, fixed incomes. Over two thirds don’t have private transportation and must walk to buy their groceries. There are no competing grocery chains because they don’t see a potential for profit in the area. You are considering charging higher than average prices for milk, bread, butter, coffee, and other products your customers buy regularly. What will you do? Is your decision ethical? What are the consequences of your decision?
In groups select a small business that looks attractive as a career possibility for you. Make up a dialogue. Talk to at least three people who manage such businesses. Ask them how they started their businesses; ask about financing, personnel training (hiring, firing, training, scheduling), accounting problems, and other managerial matters.
FINANCIAL TIMES OCTOBER 30/31 2004
Shell shake-up fails to fuel optimism
Switch to one board may not help in the vital search for oil, say Ian Bickerton and James Boxell
Standard & Poor’s yesterday put Royal Dutch/Shell’s AA+ credit rating under “negative” review because of the news that it may have to restate its proved reserves yet again.
The credit rating agency said: “This latest warning is the fifth such announcement about its reserves base this year. When Shell’s ratings were last affirmed in July, S&P did not expect further significant adjustments to the reserves base.”
Eric Tanguy, S&P oil analyst, said: “The creditwatch reflects the negative impact that another reserves restatement would have on the company’s business profile.”
Equity analysts also warned that this week’s historic decision by Royal Dutch/Shell to scrap its 97-year-old corporate structure would do little to help solve its problem of finding oil.
Bert Siebrand, of Bank Oyens & van Eeghen in the Netherlands, said: “Although we do not underestimate the impact of the unification measures, we do not see how it is going to boost production.”
He complained that the company – in spite of talk of transparency and accountability – had provided “no specific operating details”.
Concerns were also raised about whether Shell tried to bury the bad news on reserves yet again by announcing its restructuring at the same time. “The information was found on page three, line 15 in one of the longest paragraphs I've ever seen,” said one London-based broker.
Jeroen van der Veer, new chief executive at the combined group, denied the charge. “We didn’t try to hide the story,” he said. “We are hoping that in our organisation bad news will now travel upwards fast. The only way we can get our reputation back is by being open.”
Shell was forced into the restructuring after it was found to have overbooked 23 per cent of its proved reserves this year.
The company had said that the reserves issue was behind it but on Thursday Malcolm Brinded, head of exploration and production, admitted it could be forced to unbook another 900m barrels after rechecking 8bn barrels of its 14.35bn proved reserves.
The company is planning to look again at its remaining reserves. Analysts fear the downward adjustment could end up greater than 1bn barrels and that Shell will not achieve its target of 100 per cent reserve replacement over the next five years.
Bert van Hoogenhuyze, of Stroeve, the Dutch stockbroker, said: “After assurances in April about thorough reviews, this sounds like the excuses of school pupils being late for class.”
Richard Rose, at Oriel Securities in London, said: “It’s all very well having one board
but this doesn’t help you find more oil. The way to lift reserves and production is through more capital spending on exploration – although that has long lead times – or to go out and make acquisitions.”
Mr Rose said the single corporate structure would make it possible for Shell to “do what BP has done in the past” by buying companies. But he said: “The question in the current oil price environment is, what can they go out and buy?”
Shell has been linked to Total – although at one time most people thought the French group was a more likely predator for Shell – and BG Group, which could prove very expensive.
A more likely scenario could be incremental acquisitions of smaller oil groups in the $10bn price bracket. Russia’s Yukos would be tempting, but the probable lawsuits related to any attempt to buy its main oil-producing subsidiary are acting as a deterrent to western oil groups.
While analysts were sceptical about how the new structure would help in the search for oil, investors were more hopeful.
Eric Knight, who represents Knight Vinke, the US asset manager, and Calpers, the US pension fund that has a large Shell holding, said: ‘You now have a chief executive whose problem it is to develop reserves ... With BP for example, the impression one gets is that Lord Browne gets on a plane and goes out to see where investments should be made and just gets on with it. In Shell, everything in the past has been done by committee.”