Describing your company’s products

I. Write down some words and expressions from the film.

1. To have a run through – to rehearse.

2. Agenda – itinerary of a meeting.

3. Background – general information.

4. Staffing levels – company management structure.

5. Turnover – the amount of business done in a particular period, measured by the amount of money earned: e.g. an annual turnover of €5.6 million.

6. Pre-tax profit – gross profit, profit before paying taxes.

7. A broad company profile – a general description of the company’s activities.

8. Specific products – particular items of the goods.

9. Section – one of the parts that something is divided into.

10. Major – basic, main, principal.

11. Ambitious plans – plans that show a desire to do something good but difficult.

12. Market share – segment of the market occupied by a particular company’s goods and/or services.

13. At a steady rate – constantly, continuously, at a stable level.

14. A major player – a leading company.

15. Core business – activities a company specializes in and obtains major profits from, as compared with other activities of minor importance.

16. Accessory – something that you add to a machine, tool, car etc so that it can do other things, or in order to make it look attractive.

17. Copy – written material that is to be printed in a newspaper, magazine etc (technical term that can be interpreted as “text”): e.g. The pictures are okay, but I don’t like the copy.

18. Diagram – a drawing or plan that shows exactly where something is, what something looks like, or how something works.

19. Slogan – a short easily-remembered phrase used by an advertiser, politician etc.

20. Net income – money earned from work or investment which an enterprise can spend or dispose of at its own discretion after paying all taxes.

21. The low volume niche market category – the category of markets for special customers with a small volume of sales.

22. The high volume, low margin category – the category of markets for ordinary customers with a large volume of sales and a small margin.

23. Margin – the difference between the production costs and selling price of a product.

24. A dotted line – a line consisting of dots or dashes and intervals.

25. An add-on – a device that can be attached to another device to give it some new features and possibilities.

26. Decrease – the process of reducing something, or the amount by which it reduces; opposite to “increase”.

27. The product life cycle – a marketing concept that comprises 4[2] basic stages a product passes through during its “life” on the market: introduction, growth, maturity and decline.

28. Operation – some activity carried out by a business.

29. Adult – a fully-grown person.

30. To respond (to something) – to react (to something).

31. A hi-tech executive toy – a toy manufactured on the basis of high technologies and destined for company’s executives.

32. To succeed – to be a success, to have the result or effect something or someone was intended to have.

II. Translate the new vocabulary into Russian.

III. Watch the film for the 1^st time.

IV. Translate the following English speech exponents and phrases into your native language taking into consideration that a proper Russian or Belarusian interpretation may be very different from what you hear in English.

1. We must get this right. – Все должно быть гладко.

2. That will come at the end. – Это будет в конце.

3. Just remind me. – Напомни мне еще разок.

4. Like this? – Вот таким образом?

5. It looks good like that. – Вот так смотрится хорошо.

6. We are very honoured to… – Для нас большая честь…

7. In those early days – В те годы

8. It’s not exciting. – Не производит впечатления.

9. Words that give him status. – Слова, которые придадут ему значимость.

10. Let’s move from the general to the specific. – Давайте перейдем от общего к частному.

11. This diagram here shows how well the mechanism works with the design of the product. – … сочетается с …

12. I think I’ve got it. – Мне кажется, что я придумал.

13. I would like to tell you one or two things about… – … немного о …

14. This game is the number one best seller in Japan. – Эта игра занимает первое место по продажам в Японии.

V. Watch the film for the 2^nd time.

VI.Answer some questions on the film.

1. How many passages / episodes can the film be broken into? What are they? (Key: a) The rehearsal of the meeting with Mr. Sakai; b) The meeting itself; c) The meeting of Edward Green and Phil Watson)

2. What was the meeting with Mr. Sakai to start with?

3. What was the second item on the list Don Bradley was responsible for?

4. What was he going to tell about within the frames of the background?

5. What was Derek Jones responsible for? How was he supposed to present his information, briefly or in detail?

6. What stage of the presentation was meant for bringing up the problem of research and development?

7. What were Kate’s duties at the meeting?

8. What issues did Edward and Phil discuss at their meeting?

9. Was it difficult for the two guys to reach mutual understanding on the question of size and colour of the letters?

10. Let us get down to the presentation again. How much time was it to take according to Don Bradley?

11. What did you find out from the presentation about Bibury System’s range of products and their plans for the future?

12. Was Bibury System’s market share in Europe growing or declining?

13. Was their marketing strategy in the US a success or a failure?

14. What was the company’s outlook in Far Eastern markets?

15. What did you find out about the company’s background, that is to say, its origin and former core business?

16. What did Edward Green dislike, the pictures or the copy of Phil’s draft?

17. What was wrong with the text? Why did Edward take rather a pessimistic view of it?

18. What kind of slogan did Edward need?

19. What were the names of the toys Derek Jones chose to talk about?

20. What did he tell the audience about their mechanism and design?

21. What technical facility was used by Kate at the presentation?

22. Did she narrate about a total gross income or a total net income from the previous year?

23. What did the blue line represent?

24. What did the red line show?

25. What did the dotted line demonstrate?

26. How did the Sales Manager answer Mr. Sakai’s question apropos the sharp decrease of sales in February?

27. What stages does the product life cycle consist of?

28. What slogan did Edward think of eventually? Did Phil accept the idea?

29. Now I suggest talking about Mr. Sakai’s speech. What did he start with?

30. What did his company specialize in?

31. Did they have a large market share in the Far East or Europe?

32. Did they manufacture computerized games for children or adults?

33. What category of adults was their target customers?

34. What was the only Mr. Sakai’s request to Bibury System’s executives?

35. How do you find Mr. Sakai’s English?

VII. Summarize the film on its three pivotal lines, or rather main themes[3]. Your summary does not have to exceed 5 to 10 sentences.

VIII. Homework: Compose a presentation of a company’s activities at your option: 1) as the Marketing Manager or 2) as the Sales Manager.

1) The Marketing Manager covers the company origin, its core and collateral business, market share and marketing strategy;

2) The Sales Manager covers major markets, target groups, income and sales strategy.