Ford of britain

When did all start?

In the spring of 1896 engineer Henry Ford built his first horseless carriage. In 1903 Ford, backed by 12 local business men, formed the Ford motor company which later pioneered modern production line techniques.

When did it come to Britain?

In 1911 Ford’s first assembly plant outside North America opened at Trafford Park, Manchester and in 1929 work started on building the Dagenham plant where the first Model AA truck rolled off the line at 1.15 p.m. on October 1, 1931.

Ex 14.What do these numbers from the text refer to?

1903, 1929, 12, 1896, 1931, 1911

Ex 15. Complete these sentences.

1. In 1896 Henry Ford........... his first car.

2. In 1903 Henry Ford .... the Ford Motor Company.

3. Twelve local businessmen ..................him.

4. In 1911 Ford............. the first assembly plant in Manchester, England.

5. In 1929 he...........building the Dagenham plant.

Ex 16. Answer these questions about the past simple tense.

1. How is the reqular past simple tense formed? e.q, started, backed, opened

2. Not all verbs have a regular past simple tense. Give an example of an irregular past simple tense from the text.

3. Look at the two questions (a and b). Underline the auxiliary verb ~

and the main verb ----- for each.

a) When did it all start?'

b) When did it come to Britain?

4. Look at the two negative sentences and underline the negative auxiliary verb

and the main verb ------------- for each:

Ford built the first car in 1896, but he did not form the company until 1903. The first truck didn't roll off the line until 1931.

Lesson 1.3.2. Company and its production

Ex 1. Read the information about company structure and draw a chart.

Most companies are made up of three groups 'of people: the shareholders (who provide the capital), the management and the workforce. The management structure of a typical company is shown in the organisation chart.

At the top of the company hierarchy is the Board of' Directors, headed by the Chairperson or President. The Board is responsible for policy decisions and strategy. It will usually appoint a Managing Director or Chief Executive Officer, who has overall' responsibility for the running of the' business. Senior managers or company officers head the various departments or functions within the company, which may include the following: '

a Marketing e Finance

b Public Relations f Production

c Information Technology or IT g Research and Development or R and D d Personnel or Human Resources'

Ex 2. Match the company departments (1-6) with the words below.

1. Human Resources a. accounting reports

2. Production b. future products

3. Marketing c. hiring staff

4. Information Technology d. sales

5. Finance e. factory, workshop

6. Research and Development f. Computers

Ex 3. Work in pairs. Say what you know about the companies in the table.

	Virgin	United colors of benetton	Daimler chrysler	Sony
Nationality
Product(s)
Other information

Ex 4. Tom Armstrong and Rachel Humphries talk about the four companies. Listen and complete the table.

Ex 5. Look at the three company organigrams. How are these organizations different from each other?

Business units

Functional organization

Parent company/subsidiary

Ex 6. Listen to Petra Wilson who is talking to employees from the three different companies in 1 about their organizations. Which organigram are they describing?

Speaker 1....... Speaker 2........ Speaker 3........

Listen to part 1 again. How was the company organized in 1996?

Listen to part 2 again, Who changed the organization?

Listen to part 3 again. Why does the company have a traditional organization?

Ex 7. The text is about the French company, Bic. Can you name three of Bic's products? What are the advantages of disposable or 'throwaway' products? Now quickly read the text to check.