Практический курс английского языка = Practical Course of English for Students of Economics. Учебное пособие для студентов экономических специальносте

generally require large investments to cover the costs of developing the product, building distribution systems, and educating the public about the product’s benefits. The producer is not likely to make a great profit during this phase.

Next comes growth stage, marked by a rapid jump in sales – and, usually, in the number of competitors – as the introductory effort starts paying off. As the product enters the growth phase, competition increases and the war for market share begins, creating pressure to maintain large promotional budgets and reduce prices. This competitive warfare is expensive, and often the small, weak firms do not survive. The remaining participants divide the market, and competition diminishes.

During the maturity stage, sales begin to level off or show a slight decline in unit terms. This slowdown may result in overcapacity in the industry, prompting producers to cut prices. Nevertheless, mature products are a primary source of profits for most companies, since the maturity phase is typically the longest phase in the product life cycle.

Although maturity can be extended for many years, eventually most products enter the decline phase, when sales and profits begin to slip and eventually fade away. Declines occur for several reasons: changing demographics, shifts in popular taste, and advances in technology. When a product reaches this phase, the company must decide whether to remain in the game or discontinue the product and focus on newer items.

Text 6

Read the text. In each paragraph, find the topic phrase or sentence and those related and unrelated to it.

Creating Product Identification

Firms could not succeed in developing and managing products without effectively identifying their products. Consumers must be able to distinguish one product from another. Organizations identify their offerings in three important ways: branding, packaging, and labeling.

Regardless of what type of product a company produces, it may want to create a brand identity by using a unique name or design that sets the product apart from those offered by competitors. Brand names may be owned by wholesalers and retailers as well as by producers of a product. Brands owned by national manufacturers are called national brands.

Brand marks and trademarks have existed for centuries. In medieval Europe trade guilds required tradesmen to “mark” each of their products to document its source. But long before brick makers in ancient Egypt used symbols to identify their bricks. Brand names first appeared

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in the sixteenth century, when whiskey distillers burned their names on the top of each barrel to alert consumers to the source of the product and to prevent substitution with cheaper products. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries branding took on broader purposes. Names or pictures of places, famous people, or animals were used as brand names to increase memorability and to differentiate products.

Brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or service as distinct from those of other sellers. The brand name is that part of a brand that can be spoken – letter, numbers, or words. The brand mark, or logo, is that part of a brand name that cannot be spoken and is most commonly a symbol, picture, design, colour, or a combination of these. It is recognizable by sight but is not pronounceable. A trademark is a legal term meaning the same as brand.

Today the primary objectives of branding remain much the same and a major purpose of advertising is to enhance the degree of familiarity – the level of awareness of a product by any given person. A product may be unrecognized by a customer (it means “I’ve never heard of brand A”), recognized (I’ve heard of Brand A), rejected (I wouldn’t buy Brand A), accepted (I’d buy Brand A), preferred (I like Brand A better than any other brand), or insisted on (I always buy Brand A)

As an alternative to branded products, some retailers also offer generic products, which are packaged in plain containers that bear only the name of the product. These products are most often standard rather than first quality. They cost up to 40 percent less than brand-name products because of uneven quality, plain packaging, and lack of promotion.

Brand names and brand symbols may be registered with the Patent and Trademark Office as trademarks. A trademark is a brand that has been given legal protection so that its owner has exclusive rights to its use. A well-known name is a valuable asset and generates more sales that an unknown name that’s why manufacturers zealously protect their trademarks.

Packaging involves designing a product container that will identify the product, protect it, and attract the attention of buyers. It is important to both consumers and manufacturers. The food and beverage industries alone spend $35 billion each year to package products; the sum represents 9 cents of every dollar spent on those products.

Manufacturers communicate with buyers through labeling. The label is the part of the package that identifies the brand and provides essential product information regarding contents, size, weight, quantity, ingredients, directions for use, shelf life, and any other hazards or dangers of improper use.

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Labels also provide the means for automatic checkout and inventory monitoring. The universal product code (UPC), an electronic bar code on labels that identifies manufacturers and products, enables supermarkets and other stores to use computerized scanners at the checkout counter.

Say whether the following setements are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1.Firms can easily succeed in developing products without identifying their products.

2.There are two ways to identify their offerings: branding and labeling.

3.Brand marks and trademarks appeared only some 100 years ago.

4.The brand name is that part of a brand that cannot be spoken.

5.A trademark doesn’t mean the same as brand.

6.The primary objective of branding today is the enhance the degree of familiarity.

7.There is no alternative to branded products.

8.A trademark is a brand that has been given legal protection.

9.Packaging is important only to consumers.

10.Labels provide the means fro automatic checkout and inventory monitoring.

Look through the text once again and ask 10 questions on its content.

;Language

1.Practise reading the following words correctly. If necessary, use a dictionary.

Purchase, merchandise, resources, collaborators, consume, consumption, require, tangible, efficiency, manufacturer, standardized, intermediary, quality, quantity, maturity, competitive, technology, logo, valuable, package

2.Reproduce the context in which the following words and word-combi- nations are used.

Standard products, custom goods (text 1), the measure of productivity, defer purchases, bundle of benefits, input-transformation-output system (text 2), a vast middle ground (text 3), productivity, grade and quality, test a few samples, commercialization (text 4), launch a new product, maturity stage (text 5), create a brand identity, communicate through labeling (text 6).

3.Read the following words. In a certain situation they can be used as synonyms. In what do they differ? Give your own examples.

a) product, output, goods, merchandise, consignment, commodity

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b)distinguish, differentiate, identify, characterize, determine, discriminate

c)consumer, client, buyer, purchaser, customer

4. Read the passage attentively. There are some implanted words in it. What are they?

JIT Logic

JIT (just-in-time) is an integrated green set of activities designed to achieve profound high-volume production using minimal maximum inventories of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. Parts arrive at the following next workstation “just-in-time’ and are across completed and move through the operation quickly. JIT demands high quantity levels of quality at each stage of the beautiful, process, strong clever vendor relations, and a fairly predictable cherry demand for the end product. JIT can be well viewed as “big JIT” and “little JIT”. Big JIT is the boring philosophy of operations management that annually seeks to eliminate waste in all narrow aspects of a firm’s production activities: human relations, vendor relations, future technology, and the management of raw inventories and materials. Little JIT focuses more narrowly plus on scheduling goods inventories and providing service resources where and when needed.

Read the passage once again and explain in your own words what “just- in-time” means.

5.Work with a good dictionary to be sure you know the meaning of the following word expressions. Think of the situations where you could use them.

Make the best of; make a decision; make profit; make money; make a clean breast; make a clean sweep; make a day (night) of it; make good; make the most of it; make much (little) of; make a name for oneself; make no bones about; make or break; make a price; make one’s way

6.Match the halves.

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7. Read the words given below. Be sure you know their meaning. Fill in the gaps with these words. Mind your grammar.

Manufacture, customer, product, temporary, tangible, durable, service, intangible, classify, nondurable, generalization, example

Scientists … similar plants and animals into groups to study them. Marketers classify goods and services into groups to develop … about desirable marketing mixes for the different groups of … . Thus, … can be grouped into three classes (1) durable goods, (2) nondurable goods and

(3) services.

Goods have a … form—that is, you can see, hear, feel, taste, or smell them. … goods, such as automobiles and refrigerators, last over an extended period of time. … goods are quickly used, worn out, or outdated and are consumed in a single usage or a few uses. Chewing gum, paper towels, and hand soap are … of nondurables.

A … is any task (work) performed by another person or business. A service may provide a product or facility for someone’s … use, but ownership is not transferred to the customer. Services differ from goods because they are … . A company that produces intangible services operates its business differently than one that … durable or nondurable goods.

8. Read the text attentively. There are some mistakes in spelling. Find and correct them.

Logistics

Logistics is the entire prosess of moving row materials and component parts, in-process inventory, and finished goods into, through, and

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out of the firm. The term logistics is brod in scop. It includes managing the movment and storige of raw materials and supply parts neded during the prodaction processes. It also includes planing and coordinating the phisical distribution of finished goods. Inventory or materials management consists of those activities performed up to the production point, whereas physical destribution includes activities that occure after production, namely geting the product or service to the castomers. Collaborators such as transpartation campanies are vital to these processes.

9. Complete the table

10.Read the following words. Translate them into Russian. Then add the prefix en- . What meaning have the words gained? Make your own sentences with these words.

Able, cage, chase, cipher, act, chain, circle, close, courage, danger, durable, force, slave, large, sure.

11.Give the Russian equivalents to the following.

Battle for dominance; complementary parts; delivery of goods; when times get tough; defer purchases; convert raw materials into finished goods; inputs, outputs; an input-transformation-output system; in terms of benefit; measure of productivity; to screen the ideas; time-consum- ing; satisfy stated or implied needs; maturity; primary objectives; generic products; plain packaging; uneven quality; generate more sales.

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12. Fill in the blanks with the necessary prepositions.

1. Think twice … you do it. 2. We’ve decided to go there regardless … their strong opposition. 3. I’m sure he will stick … his point of view. He is so stubborn. 4. I can’t give you any answer right now … … the uncertainty of the possible development of the situation. 5. We are to deal … this problem in any case. 6. This is his fault. He has done it … the wrong time. 7. It will have an adverse affect … the whole business situation. 8. The problem should be subject … thorough consideration. 9. They tried to hold the inflation … constant rate but failed. 10. It is difficult but we’ll do our best to compensate … all your losses. 11. We must focus our attention … the main financial problems. 12. The firm agreed to do it … exchange … better conditions on the market. 13. These two sectors are very important, both dependent … each other. 14. We are interested … buying goods … high quality. 15. Producers convert raw materials … finished goods. 16. These goods seem to be absolutely the same. … what do they differ?

13.* Give the definition or explain in your own words the following terms.

Consumer, custom goods, intangibles, life cycle, maturity stage, brand name, logo, JIT, logistics, offering, product development, standard products, customizing

14. Translate the following sentences. Pay attention to the Complex Subject.

1.The producer is not likely to make a great profit during this phase.

2.The market is said to be at equilibrium because the quantity supplied is equal to the quantity demanded. 3. They are supposed to set up a joint venture. 4. He happened to be there when they were discussing the situation. 5. The problem proved to be a difficult one. 6. She seemed to be a good manager. 7. This policy is unlikely to be a success. 8. Customers seem to be satisfied with our product. 9. The market is said to be at equilibrium at the moment. 10. This type of service is believed to be more competitive.

15.* Use the English equivalents of the Russian subordinate clauses.

1.I have seen (как они встречали своих партнеров в аэропорту).

2.They didn’t expect (что цены так быстро возрастут). 3. They wanted (чтобы мы закупили оборудование по более высокой цене). 4. We would like (чтобы вы проверили все данные еще раз). 5. Do you want (чтобы мы сами сделали это)? 6. We expected (что они начнут выпуск новой продукции в конце года). 7. We heard (как они обсуждали новы проект с директором фирмы). 8. We’d like (чтобы вы начали разработку новой упаковки для нашего товара). 9. We didn’t expect (что этот товар так быстро устареет). 10. We’d like (чтобы

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вы составили перечень услуг, которые наша фирма может предложить своим клиентам).

16. Read the following sentences. Pay attention to the translation of the Gerund.

1.Revenues and expenditures forecasting is the most fundamental step in the process of budget preparation. 2. Adequate planning of capital expenditures depends crucially on an accurate forecast of revenue availability. 3. Reading much is a great habit. 4. He likes going to the cinema once a week. 5. Please, leave the room without banging the door.

6.I don’t feel like laughing over it. 7. The financial director insisted upon investing into this project. 8. He seemed to enjoy being deliberately impolite. 9. She couldn’t help noticing the shallowness of this person.

10.I remembered being here with my grandmother. 11. I shall never forget seeing the Alps for the first time. 12. You should not risk going out if you have a cold. 13. I prefer seeing a play to reading it.

17.Make up sentences of your own using these verbs and phrase, followed by a Gerund Phrase or a Gerund Construction.

To succeed in; to complain of; to look forward to; to see to; to believe in; to be afraid of; to be interested in; to be ashamed of; to get used to; to be tired of; to be in the habit of; to be on the point of; to be in danger of; to have an objection to; to put up with.

18.Translate the following sentences into Russian in written form.

1. A consumer is a person or business who purchases goods or services for personal or organizational use. 2. A nation’s resources are used to produce goods and services that will meet people’s needs and wants. 3. Consumerism includes the activities of individuals, groups, and organizations aimed at protecting consumer rights. 4. Production is the total process by which a company produces finished goods or services. 5. Manufacturing refers only to the physical process of producing goods. The word manufacturing comes from the ancient Latin word manu (hand) and facto (create, or make) – in other words, handmade. 6. Operations are the functions needed to keep the company producing, literally any function or series of functions enacted to carry out a strategic plan. 7. The rate at which goods and services are created is called productivity. 8. In a healthy economy, productivity must be high and also steadily increasing. 9. A product consists of all the tangible and intangible characteristics provided in an exchange between a seller and a buyer.

19. Give the English equivalents to the following.

состояние экономики, равновесие между этими секторами, потребление товаров и услуг, осязаемые товары, неосязаемые услуги, проходит через руки посредников, полный пакет услуг, оправдать капиталовложения в продукт, протестировать несколько образцов,

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прогнозировать объем продаж, отслеживать реакцию потребителей, крупномасштабное производство, различать сорт и качество, прибыльный, прекратить выпуск товара, продлить на несколько лет

20.* Translate the sentences into English.

1. Материалы, которые идут на производство товаров, мы закупаем во Франции. 2. Процесс создания нового товара требует огромных затрат времени и средств. 3. Из ста предложенных идей только одна воплощается в товар. 4. Услуги не подлежат транспортировке и хранению. 5. Компания надеется, что новый продукт будет прибыльным и долго продержится на рынке. 6. Снижение продаж происходит в силу разных причин: изменение моды, демографический спад, и т.д. 7. Владельцами брэнда могут быть не только производители, но и продавцы. 8. Производители ревниво защищают свою торговую марку. 9. Экономика практически любой страны состоит из производственного сектора и сектора услуг. 10. Производство товаров и услуг должно быть ориентировано на покупателя. 11. Потребитель может оценить качество товара без участия его производителя. 12. Потребителя интересует прежде всего качество товара или услуг. 13. Экономисты используют статистические данные, чтобы доказать свои теории. 14. У них достаточно сил, чтобы контролировать этот сектор экономики. 15. Монополии установили эту цену, чтобы максимизировать прибыль.

16.Новая продукция требует больших инвестиций для того, чтобы покрыть издержки на ее разработку и продвижение на рынок.

17.Маловероятно, что эти услуги будут пользоваться популярностью у населения. 18. Вероятно, им придется закупать новое оборудование. 19. Оказалось, что эта торговая марка зарегистрирована. 20. Мне было необходимо увидеть директора, чтобы обсудить с ним все вопросы заранее. 21. Ситуация была слишком сложной, чтобы разобраться в ней за такое короткое время. 22. Наши ресурсы слишком малы, чтобы начинать такой сложный проект. 23. Это необходимо сделать для того, чтобы увеличить производство наших товаров. 24. Для них важно было закупить все необходимые материалы до конца года.

;Speaking

1.Make a short report on the topic “Goods and services: what is common and in what do they differ?”

2.Speak on the production development. Give your own examples.

3.Compare Product Life Cycle and Business Cycle. What do they have in common? In what do they differ?

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4.Take as an example any product you like and describe how the principles of product identification work.

5.If you are to choose between goods and service sector to work in, what would you choose? Give your reasons.

6.The production process is thought of as “an input-transformation- output system” Explain each element of this definition.

7.What are the differences between standard and custom-made products? Give your own examples.

8.In which areas of production does the law of supply and demand have the greatest influence on prices? How do you account for this?

9.Decide on the criteria for evaluating a product/ service.

10.Speak on different types of products. Use the information from both the Unit and Appendix.

11.Sum up the information of the Unit (100–120 words).

;Writing

1.Give your arguments in favour of creating product identification. Do it in written form (150–200 words)

2.Explain the importance of product design. Give your point of view in written form (150–200 words).

;Key Vocabulary

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