New markets for older people
Level of difficulty ***
Before you read
Match the words 1-5 to their meanings a)-e). Use a dictionary to help you.
1. healthy a) have lots of interests and friends
2. active lives b) give attention to
3. wealth c) not ill
4. focus on d) don’t give attention to
5. ignore e) have money
Reading
Read this article adapted from the Guardian and answer the questions.
Older people, new markets
They are 40 percent of the population. They have 80 percent of Britain's wealth. They are 40 percent of the consumer market. So why don't more companies focus marketing and advertising on people over 50 years old? And why don't companies develop products and services for this group? Today the over 50s live longer, are healthier and lead active lives. They also have money to spend. But companies ignore this market.
Advertisers focus on young people. But young people have less money to spend and their market is getting smaller. A survey showed that most over 50s didn't like 86 percent of all advertising. This includes advertising for cars. But this group spends more on cars, including sports models, than any of the younger groups. Two-thirds of cars bought privately were bought by the over 50s.
Adverts don’t have to focus only on the over 50s. But advertisers shouldn’t ignore this group. Why aren’t advertising agencies and marketing companies interested? Perhaps, because the people who work in advertising and marketing are often under 50.
From the Guardian.
1. Correct the numbers in the sentences.
a) The over 50s are 14 percent of the population.
b) They have eight percent of Britain's wealth.
c) Four percent of the consumer market is over 50.
d) Why don't more companies focus on people over 20?
e) This group didn't like 68 percent of all advertising.
f) Half of the cars bought privately were bought by the over 50s.
2. Tick (*) the items in the list below that are mentioned in the article.
The over 50s
§ play sports.
§ lead active lives.
§ spend money on cars.
§ go skiing.
§ have money to spend.
§ are healthy
Over to you you
You work for an advertising agency. Think of five products or services for the over 50s market. Compare your list with a partner. Explain your choices
Ex. I think holidays are good for this market because the over 50s have time and money ...
Unit 9 Companies
Respected companies
Level of difficulty *
Before you read
Complete the sentences using one of the words below. Use a dictionary to help you.
respect survey around
a) The…………… asked lots of questions about different companies.
b) The companies are from different countries all the world.
c) I……………..my boss. She is a good manager and a good leader.
Reading
Read this article adapted from FT.com and answer the questions.
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.
a) What company moved from 14th place to 9th this year?
b) What company was in 8th place last year?
c) Which country has 22 companies in the top 50?
d) Which country has the second highest number of companies in the top 50?
e) How many companies has the UK got in the top 50?
f) 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.
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is a US-based doughnut chain. It is over 65 years old. It is a retail and a wholesale business. A retail business sells directly to customers. A wholesale
business sells products in large quantities to other businesses, rather than to the general public.
The company sells its products in its own company stores. It also has franchise stores and sells to supermarkets. A franchise is when a company lets another business sell its products in return for a share of the profits. The doughnuts are very popular. When the company opened a new store in New England, people slept on the street outside the store and waited in the dark until it opened.
The company is expanding into new markets in the US. This year earnings rose 50 percent. A year ago, the company had 90 outlets. Now it has 236 stores. The company plans to open a new doughnut and coffee-shop style business. Total sales increased 29.5 percent to $186.9m from $144.3m a year ago.
From FT.com
1. Use one of the words below to complete the sentences
wholesaler supermarket franchise retail
a) When I do my weekly shopping, I usually go to the
b) I need to buy a large quantity of products for my business from the
c) I want to start a business where I sell directly to customers.
d) I want to start a company but I want to sell a well-known product. Perhaps I should buy a in Kentucky Fried Chicken?
2 Match the numbers with the information in the article.
stores of earnings dollars outlets years old
a) 90 1. stores
b) 65 2. of earnings
c) 236 3. dollars
d) 186.9 million 4. outlets
e) 50% 5. years old
Over to you
What are the most popular businesses in your country? What type of company are they? What do they sell?
Unit 10 The Web
Spam
Level of difficulty **
Before you read
Do you think spam is
- e-mail advertising that is sent to lots of people?
- a game that you can play on the Internet?
Reading
Read this article adapted from FT.com and answer the questions
The spam debate
Spam is a word for e-mail messages that a computer user didn't ask for and doesn't want. Advertisers spam people by sending the same message to lots of people at the same time. And spam is increasing every day. It's costing businesses money. Employees open, read and to delete unwanted spam e-mails; this wastes company time. Billions of messages are sent each year - perhaps 40 percent of all e-mails. A year ago it was only eight percent.
Some companies sell lists of e-mail addresses. Marketing professionals buy lists from these companies. Then they send advertising messages to the addresses. Large organisations can get thousands of spam e-mails every month. AOL, the Internet service provider, gets about 780m e-mail advertising messages every day.
IT managers hate spam. Some IT departments use “anti-spam” software. It checks e-mails and stops spam messages. But there are problems. Sometimes it also stops e-mail from companies that you want to contact. Businesses need to talk to each other and sometimes e-mail marketing is necessary. It isn't going to be easy to find a solution.
From FT.com
1. Find a word in the article that has a similar meaning to the phrases below.
a) short written communication-………
b) remove an e-mail from a computer …………
c) an activity telling people about a product or service to make them
buy it……………
d) Information Technology ………………
e) see, write to or speak to ……………….
f) An answer to a problem …………………….
2. Are these sentences true or false? Correct the information in the false sentences.
a) Spam is decreasing every day.
b) Some companies sell lists of e-mail addresses.
c) Large organisations can get hundreds of spam e-mails each month.
d) IT managers love spam.
e) There are some problems with anti-spam software.
f) It is going to be easy to find a solution.
Over to you
Is spam a problem for you? Do you think it is a problem for
companies?
How many unwanted e-mails do you receive each week? What do you do with spam mail?
Unit 10 The Web
Online shopping
Level of difficulty **
Before you read
Match the words and phrases with similar meanings.
1. grow a) on the Internet
2. exceed b) a group of people who live together
3. almost c) more than
4. online d) a company or shop
5. consumer e) increase
6. retailer f) customer
7. households g) nearly
Reading
Read this article adapted from FT.com and answer the questions.
E-commerce
More people are shopping online. Between 1997 and 2002, the number of online shopping households in the US grew from 5m to 36.5m. Online sales increased from $2.4 billion to more than $72 billion. By 2007 nearly 63 million people, almost two thirds of all US households, will shop online and sales will exceed $217 billion, or eight percent of total US retail sales. Today people are more comfortable shopping online than they were in the past.
Some countries do less online shopping than North America. In Europe things are getting better. The number of online shoppers who bought at least once in the past three months increased to 17 percent of all Europeans. That is a 14 percent increase compared to a year ago.
Some consumers will never feel comfortable shopping online. They do not want to use credit cards online. They worry about delivery or they prefer to shop in stores. However, customers expect retailers to have a website, where they can do research before going to the store. There are opportunities for both traditional retailers and online retailers to succeed.
From FT. com
1. Are these sentences true or false?
a) Online shopping increased in the US between 1997 and 2002.
b) Sales will be more than $217 billion by 2007.
c) People are less comfortable shopping online than in the past.
d) The number of online shoppers in Europe is less than a year ago.
e) All customers will feel comfortable shopping online.
f) Customers don't expect retailers to have a website.
2. Match the numbers with the information in the article.
a) 17% 1. people
b) 72 billion 2. months
c) 63 million 3. of Us householders
d) 3 4. dollars
e) 8% 5. of Europeans
f) 2/3 6. of total Us retail sales
Over to you
Do you buy things online? Think of three advantages and three disadvantages for online shopping. Compare your ideas with a partner.
Unit 11 Cultures
Living in another culture
Level of difficulty **
Before you read
Underline the correct word or phrase to make true sentences.
a) If you do a deal you
i) make a business arrangement. ii) are late.
If you have good manners you are
i) polite. ii) loud.
c) If you rush something you
i) do it slowly. ii) do it quickly.
d) When people get together they
i) leave. ii) meet.
Reading
Read this article adapted from FT.com and answer the questions.
Work and play in Dubai
Money and business are important in Dubai. People are always “doing a deal”. Business is often done over a coffee in one of the many coffee shops. In Dubai business and social life are mixed. Social occasions are also opportunities for business introductions. Business does not stop at 5 p.m. This is useful for people who are visiting Dubai on business.
Dubai loves good manners. You should be polite and you shouldn't rush business. Sport is also very important. It is a good conversation topic because all nationalities in Dubai love sport. Local people like football. The Asian population is crazy about cricket. Other nationalities watch golf and other sports on television. Horse races are popular.
Family life is also important in Dubai. Thursday lunch and Friday are times when people visit their families. In the evening, families and friends often get together and enjoy a barbecue in a park or on the beach.
From FT.com
1. Tick (*) five things that are mentioned in the article.
a) politics f) good manners
b) money g) transport
c) art h) sports
d) business i) family
e) music
2. Put these sports in the order that they appear in the article.
horse races
football
golf
cricket
3. Are these sentences true or false? Correct the information in the false sentences.
a) In Dubai, business is never done over a coffee.
b) Social occasions are opportunities for business introductions.
c) Good manners are important in Dubai.
d) You should rush business.
e) People meet with their families on Tuesday and Friday.
f) In the morning, families and friends have a barbecue on the beach.
Over to you
What things are important in your country? Use some of the ideas below to help. Can you add any others? Compare your answers with a partner.
family money sports business music politics good manners food art
Unit 11 Cultures
Learning languages
Level of difficulty ***
Before you read
1. Underline the correct word or phrase to make true sentences.
a) The family of a Hispanic person comes from
i) South Asia. ii) Latin America.
b) Another word for Hispanic is
i) Latin. ii) Greek.
c) If you are bilingual you can speak
i) no languages. ii) two languages.
2. Look at the title of the article. What do you think “Se habla espanol” means?
Reading
Read this article adapted from the Financial Times and answer the questions.
'Se habla espanol' isn't enough
In 2000 there were 35.3m Hispanics in the US. Latin consumers’ spending is increasing. From 1990 to 2001 it more than doubled from $207.5bn to $452.4bn. Hispanics now make up 6.4 percent of the American market. But less than two percent of marketing expenditure in the US uses Spanish language advertising to target the Latin community.
Half the Hispanic community speaks English only and 17 percent speaks Spanish only. A third are bilingual; they can speak both English and Spanish, and this group is growing. The bilingual population prefers to buy and sell some things in
English and others in Spanish. People buying a service (for example information from an Internet service provider or a travel agency) prefer speaking in Spanish. But they prefer using English when purchasing a product, such as a car or a mobile phone.
Some companies have found ways to work in a bilingual market. Goya Foods produces food from all the main countries of Latin America. Its advertising targets people who speak Spanish and English. It advertised a free recipe book with the bilingual phrase “four fabuloso recipes that are sure to have your family crying out for mas, mas, mas!”
From the Financial Times
l. Are these sentences true or false?
a) Hispanic spending increased by more than 50 percent from 1990 to 2001.
b) Fifty percent of the Hispanic community speaks English only.
c) One-third of the Hispanic community speaks both English and Spanish.
d) Bilingual speakers prefer to use English to buy services.
e) Goya makes Italian food.
f) Goya uses English and Spanish words in its advertising.
2. Find words in the article that have similar meanings to the phrases below.
a) the total amount of money that a company spends………………
b) getting bigger…………….
c) the number of people living in a place………………
d) doesn't cost any money ……………
tells you how to cook food ………………..
Over to you
Look at the last sentence in the article. What do you think fabuloso and mas, mas, mas mean in English? Think of a product that is popular in your country. Write a short phrase to advertise it using English and your language.
Unit 12 Jobs
Business school
Level of difficulty **
Before you read
Match the word to the correct definition. Use a dictionary to help you.
1. apply a) a person who wants a job or place at college
2. applicant b) the document asking for a job or a place at college
3. application c) to ask for a job or a place at college
Reading
Read this article adapted from FT.com and answer the questions.