1| Companies

Learning
objectives:
Starting Point • Talking about what
companies do
~ Look at the pictures below. What do you know about this companies? • Talking about your
~ Which one do you think better? To work for a large or a small company? company using the
present simple
• Making polite requests
• Introducing yourself and
others

Unit 1 | Companies 1
A. Company Facts
1. Read these descriptions of some companies. Complete their names.

a. This company provides many different internet services, including news, online
shopping, and email. Most of its sales come from advertising on its website.
_________________________________________

b. This company produces tyres for cars and other vehicles. It is based in France, but it
has more than 125,000 employees all over the world. It is also well known for its red
and green travel guides.

_________________________________________

c. This northern European company operates in the retail market. It specializes in low
price products, including furniture, bathrooms, and kitchens.

_________________________________________

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

_________________________________________

e. 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.

_________________________________________

2. Complete these sentences with the words in BOLD in exercise 1.

1. Some companies make or _______________ 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 an _______________.
5. If your head office in a particular city, your company _________ ______________
there.
6. If you work in a _______________, your company is part of a bigger group.
7. If you sell a lot of products, your _______________ are very good.
8. If another company operate in the same market as you, it is your _______________

2 Unit 1 | Companies
3. Work with a partner. Make sentences using the words in the table.

Gazprom produces / makes ...

Pirelli specializes in ...
AOL operates in ...
Mitsubishi provides / offer ...
Volkswagen sells ...
UNICEF ‘s competitors are ...

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

Name of company BESAM

Products A _____________ d______________ mechanisms:

locks and s___________ systems.

Group Assa Abloy

Nationality ____________________

Number of employees ____________________

Sales €____________________ billion

Number of subsidiaries ____________________ in 40 countries.

Other information Main ____________________ are the Eastern

Company, Ingersoll-Rand, and Master Lock.

Unit 1 | Companies 3
5. Work with a partner. Choose a company to talk about, using some or all of these phrases
and information in exercise 4.

TALKING ABOUT A COMPANY

It is a(n) ..... company / organization.

It’s a subsidiary of ... It’s 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 of ...

6. Now, share your information about the company with other pairs.

B. Language at work
1. Pretend that you are an employee of a company that you know well. Work 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. What department do you work?

PRESENT SIMPLE

We use present simple to talk about general facts or regular

actions.

In the third person singular (he /she /it), the verb ends in -s or -
es
e.g. It provides engineering services to the car industry.

With I / you / we / they, there is no final -s.

e.g. I have an office in London and another in Tokyo.

In most questions, use do with I / you / we / they, and does with

he / she / it
e.g. Where do you work? Does it operate in many countries?
Don’t use do and does in questions with the verb to be.
e.g. Is it a new company?

4 Unit 1 | Companies
2. 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?

3. Work with a partner. Make questions about Nestlé using the prompts below.
Example: How old is the company?

1. How old / company?

2. What products / company / specialize in?
3. What / its annual sales?
4. Where / its head office?
5. How many factories / have?
6. Company / sell / products / all five continents?
7. How many people / employ?
8. What / offer / its employees?
9. Company / a lot of work in the community?
10. How /protect the environment?

4. Listen to a radio program Nestlé in Focus to answer the questions.

Match answers a – j to questions 1 -10 in exercise 3.

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 francs. j. By using less energy and packaging.
________ ________

5. Make sentences about Nestlé, using the questions in 3 and answers in 4.

Example: The company is more than 140 years.

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

Unit 1 | Companies 5
C. Business Communication: Introducing yourself and
others
1. Gianluca Donatelli is at a conference. Listen to him introducing himself to Jana
Frkova. Make notes about:
➢ Jana’s nationality
➢ Her job
➢ Why she’s at the conference

2. Listen to Gianluca. He asks Jana eight questions. Match Jana’s responses to each
question.

1. C__ a.I’m a journalist.

2. _______ b. Jana. Jana Frkova

3. _______ c. Yes, itis.

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, of course. That would be nice.

8. _______ h. I’m from Czech Republic.

3. Listen to two extracts from a different version of the conversation.

What do we learn about Gianluca this time?

4. Work with a partner. Have a short conversation. Talk and ask about these things.

• Name
• Company
• Country
• Job
• Reason for being here

5. Work in groups. You are at a party at a conference. Introduce yourself and find out
about another person. Then introduce this person to other people in the group.

6 Unit 1 | Companies
INTRODUCING YOURSELF AND OTHERS

Introducing yourself
Can I introduce myself?
My name’s / I’m ...

Introducing others
Can I introduce you to ...?
This is ...

Responding
Nice to meet you.
How do you do.
Nice to meet you too.

Asking about a person / job / company

What about you?
What’s your name (again)?
Where are you from?
Who do you work for?
What do you do?
Why are you here?

D. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: Polite requests

1. Complete these questions with I or you.

1. Could _______ speak to you for a moment?

2. Can _______ tell me about your name?
3. Can _______ have another drink?
4. Could _______ call me again tomorrow?
5. Would _______ repeat that, please?
6. Could _______ help me for a moment?

2. Listen to the conversation. Match the questions in exercise 1 to responses a – f

below. Then practice the conversations with your partner.

a. Yes, sorry. The reference is 1256 K. ____ d. Sorry, but I’m very busy. ____

b. Yes, of course. ____ e. Certainly. Same again? ____

c. I’m afraid I’m on holiday. ____ f. Sure. It’s Woody Neilson. ____

Unit 1 | Companies 7
3. Work with a partner. Take turns to make and respond to requests, using the verbs in
brackets.

Example: Can I have your telephone number, please?

1. I want your telephone number. (have)

2. I want your address. (give)
3. I don’t understand you. (speak more slowly)
4. I need your signature on this document (sign)
5. I need two chairs for my table. You have two free chairs at your table. (take)
6. I don’t have time to speak to you now. (Talk later)
7. I need your pen to sign the visitor’s book (borrow)
8. I didn’t hear what you said. (say)

CAN, COULD and WOULD

Could and would are generally more

polite and formal than can

Would is not used with I

Could I speak to you?

NOT Would I speak to you?

8 Unit 1 | Companies