Unit 11

Present day economics and business

Pepsi gets a makeover

Part I

PRE - LISTENING SECTION I

Exercise 1. Discuss the following issues.

1. Do you approve of Coca-Cola drinks and other beverages?

2. What are the pros and cons of Coca-Cola for health?

Exercise 2. Match these words and collocations to their definition. Translate them into Ukrainian.

1	makeove	a	issue, outcome, result
2	obesity	b	to undergo
3	saturate	c	countertrade
4	offspring	d	fatness, corpulence
5	perennially	e	sentimental
6	syrupy	f	cool
7	buyback	g	justification
8	tepid	h	permeate, soak, imbue, impregnate
9	vindication	i	always, eternally

Exercise 2. Explain the meaning of the proper name.

COCA-COLA

Be guided by the following information

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in the stores, restaurants, and vending machines of more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke (a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company in the United States since March 27, 1944). Originally intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century by John Pemberton, Coca-Cola was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century.

The company produces concentrate, which is then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise Coca-Cola to retail stores and vending machines. Such bottlers include Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the largest single Coca-Cola bottler in North America and Western Europe. The Coca-Cola Company also sells concentrate for soda fountains to major restaurants and food service distributors.

The Coca-Cola Company has, on occasion, introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, with others including Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Vanilla, and special editions with lemon, lime or coffee.

In response to consumer insistence on a more natural product, the company is in the process of phasing out E211, or sodium benzoate, the controversial additive used in Diet Coke and linked to DNA damage in yeast cells and hyperactivity in children. The company has stated that it plans to remove E211 from its other products, including Sprite and Oasis, as soon as a satisfactory alternative is found.

LISTENING SECTION I

Exercise 1. Listen to the recording and insert missing words and word combinations.

1. COCA-COLA once famously defined its market as “__________”, meaning its stake in the entire liquid intake of all humanity.

2. By 2015 the firm aims to _______________ in some of its biggest brands by 25%; by 2020, it hopes t_________________________ the amount of __________ in its drinks by 25% and the amount of ________ in certain snacks by 15%.

3. Although Ms Nooyi talks about the need __________ employees, and once wrote to the parents of her senior managers thanking them for bringing up such wonderful _________, she rejects the notion that these goals are __________ or decorative.

4. As it is, several countries in Europe and various localities in America have banned _________, a particularly unhealthy ingredient in much ______ food.

5. Michelle Obama, America’s first lady, has launched a campaign against _________ among children.

6. She insists both are possible—an idea expressed in the firm’s syrupy motto: ________________

7. As well as being hurt by the economic downturn, Pepsi suffered from a flawed financial ___________ that left it paying too much for commodities.

Exercise 2. Listen again and answer the questions with the grounds provided.

1. What does the boss of PepsiCo think about the modern trends of her firm?

2. What did Pepsi announce to do by the year 2012?

3. What did Ms Nooyi say about the need to “cherish” employees?