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Making an effective presentation
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An effective presentation is usually accompanied by helpful visuals to save words and illustrate what you want to say. Visual aids are an important and effective way of structuring and communicating presentations.
Preparing visuals make sure the information on them is large and clear. Don’t put far too much information on them because it's difficult to read. Don’t include too much text or too many figures. Don’t prepare too many visuals – about one for each minute of talking time is enough.
Presenting visuals make sure the audience can see each visual clearly. Give the audience enough time to see each visual. Help the audience to understand the visuals by pointing to parts you are referring to. Face the audience, don’t turn your back on the audience to look at the visual. Finally, don’t read the text on your visuals word for word.
Ex. 22. Work in groups of three or four. Prepare a five-minute presentation on other famous women in business you know. Say what companies or products they are famous for, describe their power and key to success. Prepare helpful visuals to illustrate what you want to say. Practise your presentation then make your presentation to the other groups.
The phrases in the box can be useful for organizing your presentation.
as you can see … let’s move on to the next …
this … shows that could I draw your attention to …
if you look at … if you take a look at…, you’ll see …
UNIT 3
FAMILY BUSINESS
Key points
A family business is a company owned, controlled, and operated by members of one or several families. Many companies that are now publicly held were founded as family businesses. Many family businesses have non-family members as employees, but, particularly in smaller companies, the top positions are often allocated to family members.
Points to discuss
1. What advantages of being involved in a family business do you see? Is it
rewarding?
2. How hard is it to work in a family business? What problems does one face
when he joins a family business?
Reading
Ex. 1. Three women tell us about the highs and lows of working in the family business. Read their points of view and name the advantages and downsides they speak about.
NATALIE ALTBACK, 25, works in her father Raymond’s hairdressing business in St.John’s Wood, North London, as a receptionist and marketing executive. She is single and lives in nearby Finchley.
My dad has had the business now for 40 years and so I grew up with it. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no talent in that area so hairdressing itself isn’t for me. My brother Joshua, on the other hand, has lots of expertise so it was natural for him to become a hairdresser and join the business.
I had always wanted to be an actress but, when that didn’t come off, I went traveling. After a year I decided to come back and work with Dad and Joshua as a stopgap and I’ve been here for three years now.
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The best thing about working in a family business is seeing your family every day. I also feel as if I’ve made a difference to the business and that I’ve helped to contribute to its growth, which gives me great satisfaction.
The flexibility is wonderful, too. If you want a day off, it can be negotiated more easily if your dad is the boss. Also hairdressing is a warm, friendly environment to work in, with regular clients with whom you build up a relationship and whose lives you get to know. It is very sociable.
There are downsides, too. Of course everyone bitches about their boss but when it is your dad or your brother that they are talking about it is horrible. The staff never really look on you as one of them because you are the boss’s daughter and that makes it difficult to build a normal working relationship with them.
At one point I lived with Dad and that was really stressful because we didn’t get any space from one another and arguments brewed up. Now that I have moved out, I get on with both my brother and my father much better. I don’t think living and working together is a great idea.
It can definitely be a bit stifling working with family and now, having been there for three years, I realize it is time to move on. There is a huge world out there and I want to broaden my experience. If I was a hairdresser it would be different but I have a strong sense of wanting to forge a niche for myself now.
Dad and my brother have both been great about that and given me time off for interviews in marketing and public relations.
And the best bit about a family business is that, if it doesn’t work out for me elsewhere, I can always go back.
♦
NICOLE ANDLAW, 26, is single, lives in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, and works in marketing for her father’s travel agency. She has a brother and a sister but is the only one who works in the family firm.
After university I got a job in insurance broking but very quickly realized it wasn’t for me and decided to take the opportunity to travel. I returned home last August and didn’t really know what to do.
My dad has always been keen on my brother, sister or me going into the firm, which specializes in arranging business travel. He gave each of us summer jobs with him, but he also made it clear that he wouldn’t create jobs for us.
Then, last August he was looking for a marketing executive, which involves promoting the company, and asked me if I was interested.
The most difficult thing about deciding to take the job was that I was worried it would be seen by other people as taking the easy option.
As a result, I feel I have an awful lot to prove. It is not like going into a job where you don’t know anybody. People at the firm have known me since I was three years old and I have got to earn everyone’s respect.
Having been there now for more than a year, I think I have more responsibility than I would at another company. That is the great advantage of working in a family company. I get on very well with my dad, but he decided it was best if I report to another manager on a daily basis, which has worked very well and is healthier for us.
My relationship with Dad hasn’t changed except that we talk more about work. That annoys the rest of the family but I think that is natural. I still live at home and it has never been a problem, although I will probably move out soon.
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I don’t think my brother and sister will want to join the company but who knows? It is great the way things have turned out for me because I always wanted a job in London.
I never thought I would work with Dad and it is working out really well. He is pleased I am on board and I feel very strongly that I don’t want to let him down. I want to make my mark and turn his business into something even bigger and better.
♦
MARGARET CARTER, 61, has two sons, Marcus, 40, and Rufus, 34, who both work in her foods business. Her daughter Gina, 38, is a film producer. Margaret was Welsh Business Woman of the Year in 1995 and lives in Llandegla in North Wales.
It was 22 years ago that I moved to North Wales with my children. My marriage had broken down and I needed to earn a living.
I had 11 different jobs, things like childminding, working as a shop assistant and babysitting. It gave me the grand total of about £70 a week, which made it really hard to bring up a young family.
One week I managed to save £9 and decided to make something I could sell. I asked the owner of a local café what he would buy and he said paté. I went home, got out a recipe book, bought some chicken liver and got going.
We still use that recipe today. I gradually sold it to more and more customers but I always hated selling. I just wanted to be a mother but I really had no choice and so the company grew and grew.
Like me, my sons are severely dyslexic. When Rufus left school he was going to job interviews but nothing materialized. It was a real struggle for him. At that time I was short of staff and asked him for a hand. He’s now the managing director.
Marcus worked in farming for a long time but five years ago he wanted a change. He started selling the patés for us on a part-time basis and was brilliant at it. He is now our sales director and travels all over the world.
In fact, they are so fantastic at what they do that they no longer need me and I have recently retired. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world being able to hand over a successful business to my family. I think it is important to empower people and I hope that is what I have done with my sons.
There has never been a problem working with Marcus and Rufus; they have no egos. I think that is what is different about working with them compared with working with other people. They are poles apart in terms of personality and they have each found a niche in the business that suits them, which is key in a successful family business. Marcus, for instance, isn’t suited to office life and so traveling around the world suits his temperament.
I also think it is hugely important for families to talk and when you work together it is even more important – and that is what we do. We all go on holiday together and we also socialize with one another. We get on really well and have never fallen out over the business.
If we had not all had dyslexia, I don’t think any of us would have done as well as we have. I’m really proud of us.
Daily Express. August 2, 2004.
♦
Ex. 2. Read the texts again and answer the following questions.
- How did it happen that all of them found themselves involved in the family business?
- Why doesn’t Natalie want to work in the family business though she sees a lot of advantages?
- What does Natalie mean saying that it is a bit stifling working with family?
- Is Natalie satisfied with the work she does?
- Does Nicole want to change anything in her life and work?
- How does Margaret’s family business start?
- What is the reason for Margaret’s family business to be so successful?
Vocabulary
| child minder / babysitter day off / time off downsides flexibility highs / lows marketing executive managing director sales director stopgap on the one hand on the other hand to be short of to broaden experience to come off to contribute to to earn a living | to earn respect to forge a niche to get on well with smb to hand over to smb to involve to join the business to let smb down to move on to negotiate to promote to report to smb to suit to take the job to take an opportunity to turn into to turn out |
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Ex. 3. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and expressions. Give the context.
Продвигать компанию, найти своё призвание/нишу, принять предложенную должность, ежедневно отчитываться перед вышестоящим менеджером, хорошо ладить с коллегами, способствовать росту компании, присоединиться к семейному предприятию, руководитель службой маркетинга, финансовый директор, работать неполный рабочий день, передать бизнес сыну, гибкий график работы, взлеты и падения, зарабатывать на жизнь, использовать все возможности, обратная сторона медали, временная пауза/передышка, расширить знания, обсуждать условия, подводить.
Ex.4. Translate into Russian the following sentences from the text. Pay special attention to the translation of the underlined parts of the sentences.
1. Also hairdressing is a warm, friendly environment to work in, with regular clients with whom you build up a relationship and whose lives you get to know. It is very sociable. 2. Everyone bitches about their boss but when it is your dad or your brother that they are talking about it is horrible. 3. The staff never really look on you as one of them. 4. We didn’t get any space from one another and arguments brewed up. 5. It can definitely be a bit stifling working with family. 6. If it doesn’t work out for me elsewhere, I can always go back. 7. It gave me the grand total of about £70 a week, which made it really hard to bring up a young family. 8. When Rufus left school he was going to job interviews but nothing materialized. 9. I was short of staff and asked him for a hand. 10. I think it is important to empower people and I hope that is what I have done with my sons. 11. My dad has always been keen on my brother, sister or me going into the firm. 12. He gave each of us summer jobs with him, but he also made it clear that he wouldn’t create jobs for us. 13. He decided it was best if I report to another manager on a daily basis. 14. It is great the way things have turned out for me.
Ex.5. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the box below.
A successful business…
1. is always making money and increasing its………………………….
2. is often the market…………………………….
3. is moving forward and interested in …………………….
4. has a motivated …………………………….
5. has a loyal …………………….. base.
6. has a world-famous ……………………………and an instantly recognized logo.
7. issues …………………which are worth millions on the stock market.
8. has its ……………….. in a prestigious location.
9. has branches and ………………….. all over the world.
10. treats its employees well and is ……………………………. oriented.
leader customer brand profit headquarters workforce
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subsidiaries people innovation shares
Ex.6. Make up a very short dialogue (4-5 remarks) using the active vocabulary from the Unit.
Ex.7. Translate from Russian into English using active vocabulary.
1. Она много лет работала в нашей компании, однако недавно она решила переехать в другой город и открыть собственное дело. 2. Продавец консультант должен ежедневно отчитываться перед одним из менеджеров по продажам. 3. Нина долго искала постоянную работу, была на множестве собеседований, и в конце-концов преуспела. Сейчас она присоединилась к бизнесу своей тёти. 4. Я не собираюсь подводить Келли. Сегодня же доложу о вашей ошибке финансовому директору. 5. Он отлично ладит со всеми нашими сотрудниками. Неудивительно, что у него хорошо получается управлять людьми в компании. 6. Продвигать товар на рынке – не лёгкое дело. Чтобы заниматься этим делом недостаточно закончить университет. Тебе нужно накапливать / расширять собственный опыт. 7. Она быстро смогла завоевать уважение постоянных покупателей. Ей нет равных в сфере обслуживания. Её надо вознаградить внеочередным отпуском. 8. Я решил искать новую работу, поскольку в этой компании у меня нет возможности развиваться, и нет шансов получить повышение. 9. Эта работа мне подходит. Мне нравится, что эта работа предполагает общение с людьми и частые командировки. 10. Николь удастся превратить маленькую компанию отца в большой процветающий бизнес. 11. Когда я уйду на пенсию, я передам свой бизнес старшему внуку.
Grammar
Ex. 8. Complete the following texts with the proper tense-form of the verbs in brackets.
Founded in 1853 by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name with sales in more than 110 countries. There is no other company with a comparable global presence in the jeans and casual pants markets. Our market-leading (to sell) under the Levi's®, Dockers® and Levi Strauss Signature® brands.
Levi Strauss & Co. privately (to hold) by descendants of the family of Levi Strauss. Shares of company stock not publicly (to trade).
Jacob (to be) the tailor who in the early 1870s first (to fashion) heavy cotton cloth and metal rivets (заклепка) into sturdy (крепкий, выносливый) "waist overalls" for miners seeking durable work pants. Levi in turn (to meet) Jacob's needs for patenting and mass production of the product, enthusiastically embracing the idea and bringing it to life. The rest is history: The two (to create) what would become the most popular clothing in the world — blue jeans.
Our history (to fill) with relevant examples of paying attention to the world around us. We listened. We innovated. We responded.
In the 1930s, consumers (to complain) that the metal rivets on the back pockets of our jeans tended to scratch furniture, saddles and car seats. So we (to redesign) the way the pockets were sewn, placing the rivets underneath the fabric.
It (to take) courage to transform the company in the late 1940s. That was when we (to make) the tough decision to shift from dry goods wholesaling, which (to represent) the majority of our business at the time, and to focus instead on making and selling jeans, jean jackets, shirts and Western wear. It was a foresighted — though risky — decision that (to enable) us to develop and prosper.
With the introduction of the Dockers® brand in 1986, we (to create) an entirely new category of casual clothing in the United States, bridging the gap between suits and jeans. A year later, Dockers® khakis (to become) the fastest growing brand in history. Throughout the 1990s, we (to be) instrumental in changing what office workers wear on the job. In 2003, we (to create) a new brand to offer stylish casual clothing to a growing number of value-conscious consumers worldwide.
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We are a team of high achievers. We hold ourselves accountable for attaining the high performance standards and results that are inherent in our goals. We learn from our mistakes. We change. This is how we build our brands and grow our business.
www.levistrauss.com
Ex.9. A. Match the beginning of sentences with their endings.
1. My parents were quite strict and a) with all the paperwork related to
brought me customer accounts
2. In my job I deal b) on to our product range
3. First I’ll talk about the history of c) up in a very traditional way
our company, then I’ll move d) over in January
4. The new director will take e) down so many times in the past
5. Why did you take f) on without me?
6. How will you get g) up golf?
7. He has been let
B. Complete the sentences with the proper preposition from the box.
on up over
1. Paola grew ….. in a little village.
2. Now I’d like to move ….. to the next slide which shows our sales by region.
3. I’ll hand ….. the firm to my son when I retire.
4. We’ll have to take …. more staff we’re to take … more work.
5. Our new manager is getting …. Well with all subordinates.
6. They have set …. a committee on teenage smoking.
7. She told herself not to let negative thoughts take …..
8. Surgical techniques have moved …. astonishingly fast in the last five years.
9. From humble beginning, they have built the company …. into what is now a multinational concern.
C. Rewrite the sentences by replacing the underlined words with a phrasal verb.
1. We’ll have to continue the meeting tomorrow. We have little time left.
2. The photocopier has stopped working again.
3. Banks usually help people wanting to organize their own business.
4. They called on him to appoint as Prime Minister.
5. Who are you going to ask to continue the presentation after you have given the introduction?
6. Did the meeting you were planning ever take place?
Discussion
Ex.10. Work in pairs. Could you name some management problems which may affect the performance of a family-owned company? How can these problems be solved?
Ex.11. Compare your ideas with the suggestions given below. Comment on them: explain how you understand them, say which you agree with, which you don’t agree with and explain why.
Management problems in a family-owned business are somewhat different from the same problems in a non-family business. When close relatives work together, emotions often interfere with business decisions.
In some family companies, control of daily operations is a problem.
In others, a high turnover rate among non-family members is a problem.
In still other companies, growth is a problem because some of the relatives are unwilling to invest profits back into the business.
Conflicts sometimes arise because relatives look upon the business from different viewpoints. Those relatives who are silent partners, stockholders, and directors see only dollar signs when judging capital expenditures, growth, and other major matters. Relatives who are engaged in daily operations judge major matters from the viewpoint of the production, sales and personnel necessary to make the company successful. Obviously, these two viewpoints may conflict in many instances.
Another problem is connected with family members who have no talent for business. Sometimes they are the weak offspring of the founders of the company - sons and daughters who lack business ambitions.
Ex.12. Look at the following situations. Imagine that you are an owner of a small business. How would you approach these situations? What would you actually do in each situation?
1) One of the most common problems in a family business is hiring of relatives who do not have talent. But what are you to do when your sister or another close relative says, "Bob needs a job badly"?
2) The major concern is not necessarily the relative but how he or she affects other employees. In some cases, a relative can demoralize the organization by his or her dealing with other employees. For example, he or she may loaf on the job, avoid unpleasant tasks, take special privileges, and make snide remarks about you and other relatives.
3) Some family-owned companies face a high turnover among their non-family executives. Managers and workers leave because promotions are closed to them because they see your relatives being pushed into executive offices.
4) Many times, as the owner-manger you feel that you must make an expenditure to improve, yet other family members oppose the expenditure because they view it as an expense rather than an investment. They feel that funds spent for items, such as more efficient equipment, spoil their year-end dividends.
Ex.13. In groups of three discuss the main principles of a family business. Give arguments to prove your views. Make a list of such principles.
Ex.14. Do you agree with these statements? Give reasons to support your point of view.
1. Family participation in a business can strengthen the business.
2. Family members are very loyal and dedicated to the family enterprise.
3. Managing a family business can present some unique problems.
4. Often family interests conflict with business interests, for example hiring a family member who is less competent than a non-family member or keeping an underperforming family member in a position when their performance is hurting the company.
Ex.15. Imagine that your are a boss of a large company and your daughter wants to join your business. But she is not good at this sphere. Make up a dialogue and try to find a compromise.
Ex. 16. Work in pairs. What advice can you give in the following situations.
1) When my dad died, he passed on his successful carpet store to me and my three siblings. The problem? Two of us aren’t old enough to run the business, and the other two don't want to.
2) My sister wants me to go into business with her — she owns a bridal shop and it sounds like a lot of fun. The thing is, I don't want business to get in the way of our relationship — we're real close. How do we make this work?
3) My brothers is talking about working together. I know that he is a terrific salesman and marketer, that he has a lot of drive and works well on his own, and that I can really use his marketing expertise. The rewards seem obvious — I will get to work with some one I know so well. But the risks can't be overlooked: What if it doesn't work out? What if business interferes with our personal relationship?
Writing
Ex.17. Read this short story and comment on the situation: explain what happened and express your opinion on the father’s behaviour.
An example of the conflict that can arise is demonstrated in a story, about Stew Leonard's Supermarket in Connecticut, about a family business owner whose son's performance was deemed unsatisfactory by his supervisor. The father told the supervisor that he would take care of it. The father asked his son to come to the family home for a talk in the hot tub. When they were settled in the tub the father put on a hat which he said was his 'Boss' hat and told his son that he was fired. He then removed that hat and put on another calling it his 'Father' hat. Then he said: "Son, I'm very sorry to hear that you lost your job. Is there anything I can do for you?"
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