2.5. Translate the sentences, paying attention to the idioms.

1. I think we jumped the gun by buying those securities.

2. Jack Smith is the front runner for the chairman of the board of directors. It became a one-horse race.

3. The final assembly stage is in the home stretch.

4. He got off to a false start at his new sale job but later he became successful.

5. It’s easy to be successful in sale when you have the inside track.

6. Most of the other firms were not powerful enough so we won hands down.

7. It’s coming down to the wire but we will get the goods shipped on time.

8. They won the trend, but they only won by a nose. Stop flogging a dead horse.

9. Sam was hitting below the belt when he called his works lazy.

10. We are going to throw in the towel if they don’t accept our terms this time.

11. Both lines were neck and neck in the production volume contest.

12. With the treasury officer being in London he had to wear more than one hat.

2.6. Translate the sentences, using the transformation.

1. Jack donated $5000 to foundation to start the ball rolling. (пожертвование) We still need more donations to keep it rolling.

2. Whenever I think the requerments’ve met, my customer moves the goalposts.

3. The technologist ended up carrying the ball on the project after the designer threw in the towel.

4. We can’t trust our broker to do the job. He is always dropping the ball.

5. Sam was hitting below the belt when he called to say about his delivery delays.

6. Keep your eye on the consumer price index (CPI) measures changes if you want to keep the inside track. Although the market has expanded, there are still really only two in the driving seat. They will fight it out for market dominance.

7. The company has scored an own goal with accepting the new terms of FOB.

8. Peter would like to open up more foreign markets, but the board decided that he was out of the competing league.

9. Field surveys are too expensive, but we are not going to throw in the towel.

10. It was not a level playing field any more. We lost the contract but took it on the chin.

11. It’s great to have someone in your corner.

3. Jockeying for Position

3.1. Read the text.

Rivalry among existing competitors takes the familiar form of jockeying for position using tactics like price competition, product introduction, and advertising slugfests. Intensive rivalry is related to the presence of a number of factors:

— Competitors are numerous or are roughly equal in size and power, or are neck and neck. In many industries in recent years, foreign contenders, of course, have become part of the competitive picture. And have the inside track.

— Industry growth is slow, precipitating (низвергают) (and below the belt) fights for market share that involve expansion-minded members.

— The product or service lacks differentiation or switching costs, which lock in buyers and protect one combatant from raids on its customers by another.

— Fixed costs are high or the product is perishable; creating strong temptation to cut prices. Many basic materials businesses, like paper and aluminum, suffer from this problem when demand for your goods slackens (вянет) and is out of the league.

— Exit barriers are high. Exit barriers, like very specialized assets or management’s loyalty to a particular business, keep companies competing even though they may be earning low or even negative returns on investments. Excess capacity remains functioning, and the profitability of the healthy competitors suffers as the sick ones hang on. If the entire industry suffers from overcapacity, it may seek government help or someone in your corner – particularly if foreign competition is present.

— The rivals are diverse in strategies, origins, and “personalities.” They have different ideas about how to compete (even with below the belt) and continually run head on into each other in the process…

While a company must live with many of these factors, to start the ball rolling and keep it rolling, because they are built into industry economics – it may have some latitude for improving matters through strategic shifts. For example, it may try to raise buyers’ switching costs or increase product differentiation. A focus on selling efforts in the fastest-growing segments of the industry or on market areas with the lowest fixed cost can reduce the impact of industry rivalry. If it is feasible, a company can try to avoid confrontation with competitors having high exit barrier and can thus sidestep involvement in bitter price-cutting.