1 Companies

Learning objectives in this

unit
• Talking about what
companies do W orking with words I Company facts
• Talking about your
company using the
present simple
• Making polite requests
• Introducing yourself and

Activity
• Make that contact!

Starting point
1 Look at the pictures
on this page. W hat do
you know about these 1 Read these descriptions o f som e com panies. Com plete their names.
companies?
1 This company provides many different Internet services, including news, online
2 Do you think it’s better
to work for a large or a shopping, and email. Most of its sales come from advertising on its website. Its
small company? head office is in Sunnyvale, California.

3 W hat kind of company

2 This company produces tyres for cars and other vehicles. It is based in France,*3
5
4
do you work for?
but it has more than 125,000 employees all over the world. It is also well known
for its red and green travel guides.
M
3 This northern European company operates in the retail market. It specializes in
low-price products, including furniture, bathrooms, and kitchens.

4 It’s a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).
The company makes planes for the commercial aircraft market, where its main
competitor is Boeing.

5 This company makes many different electrical and electronic products, such
as TVs, computers, and mobile phones. It is South Korea’s largest company and
exporter.
S ______________________

6
2 Complete these sentences with the words in bold in 1.
1 Some companies make o r __________goods.
2 Other companies__________or offer services.
3 If you __________in a particular product or service, it’s your main activity.
4 If you work for a company, you are a n __________
5 If your head office is in a particular city, your com pany__________________
there.
6 If you work in a __________, your company is part of a bigger group.
7 If you sell a lot of products, y ou r__________are very good.
8 If another company operates in the same market as you, it is y o u r_______

» For more exercises, go to Practice file 1 on page 102.

3 Work with a partner. Make sentences using the words in the table.

Gazprom produces / makes ...

Pirelli specializes in ...
AOL operates in ...
Mitsubishi provides / offers ...
Volkswagen sells ...
UNICEF ’s competitors are ...

4 01 > An employee is talking about her company. Listen and complete the
information in the table.

Name of company BESAM

Products ‘A __________2d __________ mechanisms: locks and
3s __________ systems
Group Assa Abloy
Nationality 4S __________
Number of employees ________,000
5
Sales 6€ _________ billion
Number o f subsidiaries 7_________ in 40 countries
Other information Main 8c __________are the Eastern Company,
Ingersoll-Rand, and Master Lock

Work with a partner. Talk about Besam, using some or all of these phrases
and the information in 4.
It’s a(n) ... company / organization.
It’s a subsidiary o f ... Its head office is ...
It makes / produces ... It provides / offers ...
It has ... employees It operates in ...
It is based in ... It specializes in ...
Its main competitors are It has sales o f ...

6 Now talk about your company using the phrases in 5.

@ » Interactive Workbook » Glossary

 Language at work I Present simple
1 W ork with a partner. Ask and answer these questions.
1 Do you work for a multinational company?
2 Is it a new company?
3 What does it do?
4 Does it operate in many countries?
5 Where do you work?

2 Match the questions in 1 to answers a-e.

a Yes, it does____
b It provides engineering services to the car industry____
c I have an office in London and another in Tokyo____
d Yes, I do____
e No, it isn’t____

3 W e use the present simple to talk about general facts or regular actions.
Find examples in 1 and 2 for each of these rules.
1 In the third person singular ( he / she / it), the verb ends in -s or -es.
Example: ________________________________________
2 With / / you / we / they, there is no final -s.
Example: ________________________________________
3 In most questions, use do with / / you / we / they and does with he / she / it.
Example: ________________________________________
4 Don’t use do and does in questions with the verb to be.
Example:________________________________________
vJ
» For more information and exercises, go to Practice file 1 on page 103.

4 Read the text. Discuss the questions with a partner.

When you see the name Nestlé, perhaps you think of breakfast
cereals, Nescafé instant coffee, or Nespresso machines. But what
else do you know about the company? What other products does it
sell, and where? How many people work for the company and why
do they like working there? What does the company do to protect
the environment?
Listen to Nestlé in Focus tonight at 8.00 p.m. to get answers to
these and many other questions.5
0
1
9
8
7
6

5 Work with a partner. Make questions about Nestlé using the prompts below.
Example: How old is the company?
1 How old / company?
Tip I Questions with 2 What products / company / specialize in?
prepositions 3 What / its annual sales?
In a question w ith a 4 Where / its head office?
preposition, the preposition is 5 How many factories / have?
usually the last word, not the 6 company / sell / products / all five continents?
first. 7 How many people / employ?
Where is he from? 8 What / offer / its employees?
Who do you work for? 9 company / a lot of work in the community?
What m arket do you se ll in? 10 How / protect the environment?
6 02> Match answers a -j to questions 1-10 in 5. Then listen to the radio
programme and check.
a 780____ f Many possibilities for training.___
b More than 140 years old____ g Yes, it gives money and other help.
c Yes, it does____ h Food and beverages____
d 276,000____ i Vevey, Switzerland____
e More than 107 billion Swiss j By using less energy and
francs____ packaging____

7 Make sentences about Nestlé, using the questions in 5 and answers in 6.

Example: The company is more than 140 years old.

8 Work with a partner. Ask and answer the questions in 5 about your
company.

9 Work with a different partner. Tell them about your first partner’s
company.

Practically speaking I How to make polite requests

1 Complete these questions with / or you.
1 Could___ speak to you for a moment?
2 C an ___tell me your name?
3 C an ___have another drink, please?
4 Could call me again tomorrow?
5 W ou ld repeat that, please?
6 Could___ help me for a moment?

2 03> Work with a partner. Match the questions in 1 to responses a - f below.

Listen and check your answers. Then practise the conversations.
a Yes, sorry. The reference is 1256 K____ d Sorry, but I’m very busy_________
b Yes, o f course____ e Certainly. Same again?___
c I’m afraid I’m on holiday____ f Sure. It’s W oody Neilson____

3 Work with a partner. Take turns to make and respond to requests, using
the verbs in brackets.
Example: Can 1 have your telephone number, please?
1 I want your telephone number, (have) Tipi can, could, and
2 I want your address, (give) would
3 I don’t understand you. (speak more slowly) C ould and w ould are generally
4 I need your signature on this document, (sign) m ore polite and form al than
5 I need two chairs for my table. You have two free chairs at your table, (take) can.
6 I don’t have time to speak to you now. (talk later) W ould is not used w ith /:
7 I need your pen to sign the visitor’s book, (borrow) C ould I speak to you?
8 I didn’t hear what you said, (say) NOT W ould 4 s poak4 o -you?
 Business communication I Introducing yourself and others
1 04> Gianluca Donatelli is at a conference. Listen to him introducing
himself to Jana Frkova. Make notes about
1 Jana’s nationality
2 her job
3 why she’s at the conference.

2 05 > Complete what Gianluca says. Listen and check your answers.
1 Excuse m e___________this seat free?
2 Thanks very much. Can I __________myself? I’m Gianluca Donatelli.
3 Nice to meet y o u __________, Jana. Where are y o u __________?
4 A n d __________do you work for?
5 Oh really? And what do y o u __________?
6 S o __________are you at this conference?
7 That’s interesting. A friend o f mine works for an Italian service provider. Can I
introduce__________t o __________ ?
8 Roberto. Can you come here for a minute? This is ... Sorry, what’s your name
________ ?
9 Roberto___________is Jana. She’s writing an article on Internet service providers.

3 05t> Listen to Gianluca again. He asks Jana eight questions. Match Jana’s
responses to each question. Then work with a partner and practise the
dialogue.
1 a I am a journalist.
2 ___ b Jana. Jana Frkova.
3 ___ c Yes, it is.
4 ___ d Nice to meet you. I am Jana Frkova.
5 ___ e I’m here to research an article on Internet service providers.
6 ___ f I am self-employed.
7 ___ g Yes, o f course. That would be nice.
Key expressions 8 ___ h I’m from the Czech Republic.

Introducing yourself 4 W hy don’t we learn much about Gianluca in the conversation in 1?

Can I introduce myself?
My nam e’s / I’m ... 5 06> Listen to two extracts from a different version of the conversation.
1 What do we learn about Gianluca this time?
Introducing others
2 Underline the stressed words in Jana’s questions.
Can I introduce you to ...?
1 What about you? What do you do?
This is ...
2 What about you? What are you here for?
Responding
Nice to m eet you / » For more exercises, go to Practice file 1 on page 102.
How do you do.
Nice to m eet you too. 6 Work with a partner. Have short conversations. Talk and ask about these
things.
Asking about a person / job /
Example: A Where are you from?
company
B I ’m from Spain. What about you? Where are you from?
W hat about you?
A I ’m from Japan.
W h at’s your nam e (again)?
• name • company • reason for being here
W here are you from?
• country • job
Who do you work for?
W hat do you do? 7 W ork in groups. You are at a party at a conference. Introduce yourself and
Why are you here? find out about another person. Then introduce this person to other people
in the group.
@ » Interactive Workbook »
Phrasebank @ » Interactive Workbook » Email and » Exercises and Tests
Make that contact!
07 . Work with a partner. You are both at a conference. You are competing
for a big customer. The first person to finish is the winner. Turn to File 01
on page 135 for the rules of the game.

PLAYER A PLAYER B
Start Start

Who are
Where are you I’m a sales Yes, I am. Nice
your main Is this seat free?
from? manager. to meet you.
competitors?

Sorry, what’s
We make car Who do you No, it’s a French
JOKER your name
windows. work for? company.
again?

Can I introduce Does your

It’s 1263 Gray I’m Spanish.
you to my boss? company operate Italy
Rd, Carmel. What about you?
in Europe?

Yes, sure. It’s JL». Yes, it’s

How do you do? JOKER ^
Jan Olsen. < 3 J° KER M 07 45 32 .9 66.

How many We operate in

What are your What does your
In Milan. employees do Europe and
annual sales? company do?
you have? North America.

No, I work Do you use

What services
in one of our JOKER ^ English in your Yes, I am.
do you provide?
subsidiaries. job?

No, we don’t. What does

Where’s your What do you Yes, of course.
We’re a service your company
head office? specialize in? Please take it.
company. specialize in?

No, I’m I work for I’m in the Hotel

W JOKER JOKER ^
American. Goodyear. k ,'i h 'A Cap Verde.

Can you tell me Does your That’s a very

My wife? She’s a Do you do any
your hotel room company have a personal
journalist. business in Asia?
number? website? question!

Yes, of course.
Yes, we do / No, Can I borrow You speak very
JOKER I’ll give you my
we don’t. your pen? good English!
phone number.

Congratulations! You made contact with the customer firstl