- •Introduction
- •Profile: meet James Franklin
- •Welcome to Insead
- •Scientists tell us why we don't like Monday
- •Rush hour etiquette in Tokyo
- •Mr and Mrs Boss
- •The right person for the job
- •Hi, I'm on the plane at 39,000 ft
- •Travel agents or the Internet?
- •Is 'Power tea' the new lunch?
- •How to ... Have a successful business lunch
- •So you want to be a mail order entrepreneur?
- •How to buy almost everything
- •The Book People
- •Too young to manage
- •A new energy drink
- •Older people, new markets
- •The world's most respected companies
- •Krispy Kreme
- •The spam debate
- •Work and play in Dubai
- •'Se habla espanol' isn't enough
- •Applying for business school
- •WeWantWork
- •Innovative difficulties 1.
- •Innovative difficulties 2.
- •Getting ideas across
- •Reaching the smokers
- •Computers as a colour experience
- •Personal time management for busy managers
- •Hope for dying housing estates
- •Starting every day with a song
- •Teamwork and success
- •Negotiating by e-mail
- •The future is mediation rather than litigation
- •A price that’s hard to refuse
- •Sarah to the rescue
- •New products for the cyclist
- •New medical products
- •Literature
The world's most respected companies
Each year the Financial Times has a survey to find the world's most respected companies. They interviewed more than 1,000 chief executives from all around the world and asked their opinion. Here is what they decided.
The US company, General Electric, is the world's most respected company. The top ten includes three computer companies and two car companies. Microsoft is in second place. Bill Gates is also the world's most respected business leader. IBM is the third most respected company. Coca-Cola moves from fifth to fourth place in this year's survey and Toyota from sixth to fifth. Sony, of Japan, is in sixth place. General Motors is in seventh place. Wal-Mart is the eighth most respected company this year, which is where it was last year.3M has moved from fourteenth to ninth place. Dell is now the world’s tenth most respected company
Only four countries have more than two companies in the top 50. The US has the most, with 22 companies. Germany has the second highest number with nine, headed by DaimlerChrysler, BMW and Mercedes. The UK is third. It has six companies on the list. Japan has three companies in the top 50: Toyota, Sony and Nissan. The chief executives liked Toyota. They said it had “the best products and
excellent service”.
From FT.com
1. Write the companies in the correct order.
Dell, Microsoft, Toyota, Coca-Cola, General Motors, General Electric, IBM, Sony, Wal-Mart, 3M
Ex. 1st General Electric
2d…., etc
2. Read the article again and answer the questions.
What company moved from 14th place to 9th this year?
What company was in 8th place last year?
Which country has 22 companies in the top 50?
Which country has the second highest number of companies in the top 50?
How many companies has the UK got in the top 50?
What country is Toyota from?
Over to you
Do you know the top five companies in your country? What do they sell? Who is the most respected businessperson in your country? Write a list of the top three companies in the world that you respect. Compare your list with a partner.
Unit 9 Companies
Doughnut chain
Level of difficulty **
Before you read
Underline the correct answer. Use a dictionary to help you.
a) A doughnut is
i) a drink. ii) a cake.
b) A company chain is
i) a lot of shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. owned by the same company,
ii) the person who is in charge of a meeting.
c) An outlet is
i) a shop or company where products are sold,
ii) the money you spend when you start a business.
d) A store is
i) a shop. ii) a restaurant
Reading
Read this article adapted from FT.com and answer the questions.