
- •Часть I. "Современные тенденции в мировой экономике.
- •Предисловие
- •1.2. Read the following article and then
- •Who are the champions?
- •Europe's pride
- •2.4. Explain the meanings of the following notions, draw examples to illustrate their usage.
- •2.7. A) Say how you understand the following sentences from the text, pay special attention to the words and expressions in bold type. Reproduce the context each of the sentences is used in.
- •2.8. Translate into English, using the key vocabulary of the text.
- •III. Back to the text.
- •3.1. Answer these questions using the active vocabulary of the Unit.
- •1.2. Read the following article and then
- •1. European companies face competition from new directions;
- •Tomorrow the world
- •Necessarily global
- •When dancing elephants trip up
- •2.4. Explain the meanings of the following notions, draw examples to illustrate their usage.
- •2.7. A) Say how you understand the following sentences from the text, pay special attention to the words and expressions in bold type. Reproduce the context each of the sentences is used in.
- •2.9. Translate into English, using the key vocabulary of the text.
- •III. Back to the text.
- •3.1. Answer these questions using the active vocabulary of the Unit.
- •4.5. Analyse:
- •V. Writing.
- •5.2. Write your comments on the following passage from the text:
- •1.2. Read the following article and then
- •Home and abroad
- •What's new?
- •Beautifully simple
- •2.4. Explain the meanings of the following notions, draw examples to illustrate their usage.
- •2.7. A) Say how you understand the following sentences from the text, pay special attention to the words and expressions in bold type.
- •2.8. Translate into English, using the key vocabulary of the text.
- •III. Back to the text.
- •3.1. Answer these questions using the active vocabulary of the Unit.
- •V. Writing.
- •1.2. Read the following article and then
- •The gain in Spain
- •II. Vocabulary.
- •2.1. Give Russian equivalents for the following terms and expressions all found in the article above.
- •2.2. Give English equivalents (all found in the text above) for the following Russian terms.
- •2.3. In the text, find terms corresponding to the following definitions.
- •2.4. Explain the meanings of the following notions, draw examples to illustrate their usage.
- •2.7. A) Say how you understand the following sentences from the text, pay special attention to the words and expressions in bold type. Reproduce the context each of the sentences is used in.
- •2.8. Translate into English, using the key vocabulary of the text.
- •III. Back to the text.
- •3.1. Answer these questions using the active vocabulary of the Unit.
- •V. Writing.
- •5.2. Write your comments on the following:
- •1.2. Read the following article and then
- •In the steps of Adidas
- •A model to aspire to
- •Agony in Italy
- •II. Vocabulary
- •2.1. Give Russian equivalents for the following terms and expressions all found in the article above.
- •2.2. Give English equivalents (all found in the text above) for the following Russian words and expressions.
- •2.3. In the text, find terms corresponding to the following definitions.
- •2.4. Explain the meanings of the following notions, draw examples to illustrate their usage.
- •2.7. A) Say how you understand the following sentences from the text, pay special attention to the words and expressions in bold type. Reproduce the context each of the sentences is used in.
- •2.8. Translate into English.
- •III. Back to the text.
- •3.1. Answer these questions using the active vocabulary of the Unit.
- •4.4. Consider
- •V. Writing.
- •5.2. Write your comments on the following:
- •1.2. Read the following article and then
- •The chic and the cheerless
- •Trumped by foreigners
- •Soft underbelly
- •2.4. Explain the meanings of the following notions, draw examples to illustrate their usage.
- •2.7. A) Say how you understand the following sentences from the text, pay special attention to the words and expressions in bold type. Reproduce the context each of the sentences is used in.
- •2.8. Translate into English, using the key vocabulary of the text.
- •III. Back to the text.
- •3.1. Answer these questions using the active vocabulary of the Unit.
- •Not what it was
- •It's all coming together
- •A new way of doing business
- •II. Vocabulary.
- •2.1. Give Russian equivalents for the following terms and expressions all found in the article above.
- •2.2. Give English equivalents (all found in the text above) for the following Russian words and expressions.
- •2.3. In the text, find terms corresponding to the following definitions.
- •2.4. Explain the meanings of the following notions, draw examples to illustrate their usage.
- •2.8. Translate into English.
- •III. Back to the text.
- •3.1. Answer these questions using the active vocabulary of the Unit.
- •1. Read the text below to prove the following: "The car may be German, but its innards are nearly all from eastern Europe". Driving east
- •Case Study 2
- •1. Read the following article and then explain its title. The tortuous tale of Telecom Italia
- •Revolution, of sorts
- •1. Read the following article and then say what Mediterranean countries the article focuses on.
- •Investment in the Mediterranean The Med’s moment comes
- •Follow the money
- •Med revival
- •1. Read the following article and then prove that France’s negative attitude to older workers creates a business opportunity.
- •Jobs for the old
- •1. Read the following article and then provide details to explain its title.
- •Breaking up is hard to do But there are big rewards for firms that get it right
- •Timing is everything
- •1. Read the following article and then explain its title. Crisis? What crisis?
- •1. European business:
- •2. European small and medium-sized business:
- •3. Europe vs America:
- •4. Germany as a core European economy:
- •5. Models and strategies
- •Appendix
- •1. Templates for Introducing What "They Say"
- •2. Templates for Introducing "Standard Views"
- •7. Templates for Explaining Quotations
- •8. Templates for Disagreeing, with Reasons
- •9. Templates for Agreeing
- •10. Templates for Agreeing and Disagreeing Simultaneously
- •11. Templates for Signaling Who is Saying What in Your Own Writing
- •12. Templates for Embedding Voice Markers.
- •13. Templates for Making Concessions while Still Standing Your Ground
- •14. Templates for Indicating Who Cares
- •15. Templates for Establishing Why Your Claims Matter
- •16. Templates for Introducing Metacommentary
Necessarily global
Given its small home market, Swiss business has always needed to be international to survive. The same goes for Scandinavia, which comes third after America. The position of the next three, Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands, partly reflects the imperial and trading heritage of these relatively small countries. Germany, Spain, Italy and Austria are all below the average for 25 European countries, though Germany has about 500 small and medium-sized (Mittelstand) companies that are world leaders in tiny niche markets, as well as a strong car industry and corporate giants such as Siemens and BASF, the world's biggest chemical conglomerate.
So why does America lead in the fast-growing high-tech sectors, and why does Europe hold its own only in more mature industries? Europe's computer companies of the 1960s more or less disappeared but America's survived, albeit consolidated into fewer groups. Britain's ICL, Italy's Olivetti and the Netherlands' Philips have all left the IT industry; the only surviving computer-hardware company in Europe is a joint venture with Japan, Fujitsu Siemens, and the only leading international software house is SAP. America's giants—IBM, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle and Google—dominate IT globally.
Hans-Paul Bürkner, global president of Boston Consulting Group, sees a clear difference in approach between Europe and America that helps to explain why American high-tech businesses are so much more successful. In the 1970s, he says, many Americans started to get out of more traditional industries and into IT hardware, software and biotech. He thinks one of the biggest obstacles to progress in Europe is a desire to preserve the status quo. But despite this conservatism, he points out, Germany has remained the world's leading exporter, with companies that put together products and services from all over the world.
In a forthcoming book, Don Sull of London Business School identifies two contrasting approaches to corporate strategy: absorption and agility. Strategic agility means that a firm is able to exploit changes in the environment faster and more effectively than rivals. Absorption describes management's way of protecting an organisation from such changes by, for instance, diversifying out of the core business or growing “too big to fail”.
The difference between the two approaches is illustrated by the most famous boxing match of the 20th century. The “rumble in the jungle”, staged in (then) Zaire, pitted George Foreman, the world heavyweight champion, against the veteran Muhammad Ali, who was making a comeback bid. Ali's normal style was agility personified—“float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” But faced with the younger Foreman, Ali spent six months learning to absorb heavy punishment. From round two he went defensive, leaning on the slackened ropes to absorb blows. In the eighth round, when Foreman had exhausted himself, Ali sprung off the ropes and knocked him out. His blend of absorption and agility had paid off.
As an example from the world of business Mr Sull quotes Pepsi, which uses a skilful mix of absorption and agility to try to overtake Coca-Cola. In fast-moving consumer goods, agile Procter & Gamble of America thrives on its streamlined product range whereas Europe's Unilever is panting to keep up, with too many brands in too many markets. America, by and large, stands for agility; Europe for absorption.