Web International Business Intermediate Private Class 1

Business Intermediate Private Class 1

Company Description (Review)

Objectives
• To be able to ask and answer questions about a company

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• To be able to present a general description of a company, including a brief history
• To be able to make a presentation about a company

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Activity 1: Quick Questions (5 minutes)

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Have students take turns briefly introducing the company that they work for (or school that they
attend as the case may be). This doesn’t need to be in great detail. It is just so the teacher can get an

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idea of the student’s ability. Have the rest of the class ask one follow up question each before moving
on to the next student.

Activity 2: Describing a Company (10 minutes) al

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Write the title Characteristics of a Company on the board and elicit from the class the following seven
titles: History, Location, Products, Customers, Employees, Competitors, and Sales and Profits. Elicit
words and phrases for each and list these on the board (note: vocabulary items in bold are not in the
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courseware and have been included for use with higher ability students). The students are to use these
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for review questions and for presentation practice later in the class.
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Characteristics of a Company

was started in, was founded in, was established in, was formed in, has a history of
History
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over ______ years, has a history of almost ________ years

is located in, is based in, is situated in, head office, headquarters, branch office,
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Location
factory, overseas office

produces, manufactures, makes, assembles, well-made, high quality, durable,

Products
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utilizes the latest cutting edge technology

General consumers, schools and other organizations, middle class families, target
Customers
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customers

Employees Employees, staff members, workers

competes with, competes against, main competitor, direct competitor, rival

Competitors company, indirect competitor

are both increasing, the company is doing well, has been profitable, has been
Sales and Profits
successful, is well managed

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Activity 3: Ace Corporation (15 minutes)

Ask students the following questions about Ace Corporation. Ensure that students answer in full
sentences:

1. When was Ace established? It was established in 1920.

2. How old is the company? It is more than 90 years old.
3. What does Ace produce? It produces sporting goods.

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4. How big is the company? It’s a large company.
5. How many offices does Ace have? Ace has two offices.

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6. Where is its main office located? Its main office is in New York.

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7. Where is its other office located? Its other office is located in Los Angeles.
8. How many factories does it have, and where are they located? Ace has two factories. Its main
factory is in Chicago, the other factory is in Miami.

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9. How many employees are there in its head office? Its head office has 300 employees.

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10. How many people work in the Chicago factory, and how many work in the Miami factory?
5000 people work in the Chicago factory and another 1150 work in the Miami factory.
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11. How many people work in its overseas sales centers? Between fifty and sixty people work in
its overseas sales centers, and the number is growing.
12. Who are its main customers? Ace’s main customers are general consumers.
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13. Who are its main products sold to? Its products are sold to schools and other organizations.
14. How is Ace doing? Ace is doing well.
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15. Who are its main competitors? Its main competitors are foreign companies from Europe and
Asia.
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16. How are Ace’s sales and profits? Sales and profits are both increasing.
17. How has the company been doing in recent years? In recent years the company has been
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doing well.
18. Why has Ace been successful? Ace has been successful because of its high quality products.
19. Does Ace have any offices or factories outside the United States? Ace doesn’t have any
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overseas offices.
20. What is Ace planning to do next year? Next year Ace is planning to open a factory in Asia.
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Activity 4: United Industries (10 minutes)

Put students in pairs and have them take turns asking each other questions about United Industries.
Refer to the Characteristics of a Company chart on the board and instruct students to work through
the sections step by step, beginning with History, then moving on to Location and so on. Monitor the
pair work to ensure accuracy and fluency. What follows are some examples of questions that students
might ask (for the teacher’s reference, and in the event of a one on one class):

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History
When was the company established? United Industries was established in 1960.
How old is the company? The company is more than fifty years old.
Who founded this company? This company was founded by a small group of engineers
What did United start to manufacture in 1965? In 1965 it started to manufacture aircraft parts.
Location
Where is United Industries based? United Industries is based in Seattle, Washington.
Where is its largest factory located? Its largest factory is located near its headquarters in Seattle,

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Washington.
How many factories does it have altogether? Altogether it has three factories. The main one is in
Seattle, another is in Montreal, and the third is in London.

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Does United Industries have any overseas offices? United Industries has offices in Europe, Asia
and other locations around the world.

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Where are its Asian offices? Its Asian offices are in Beijing and Tokyo.
Products
What kind of products does United Industries make? United Industries makes rocket engines,

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satellites and aircraft parts.
Which of these products is used to improve global communications? Satellites are used to
improve global communications.
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What did the company start to manufacture in 1965? In 1965 the company started to manufacture
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aircraft parts.
What are some of its products used for? Some of its products are used for military purposes.
Customers
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Who does United sell its products to? United sells its products to many different countries.
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Why do some people not like United? Some people don’t like United because its products are
used for military purposes.
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Employees
How many workers does United employ? United Industries is a large company, employing almost
25000 workers
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How many employees does the London factory have? The London factory has 2000 employees.
How many people are employed by the Montreal factory? In Montreal the company has 5000
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employees, including part- time workers.

How many factories do the two factories outside the US employ? The two factories outside the US
employ a total of around 7000 workers.
Competitors
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Who is United’s main competitor? United has no direct competitor.

Sales and Profits
How are United’s sales and profits? United’s sales and profits are both increasing.
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How has the company done in recent years? In recent years the company has done well.

Activity 5: Presentation Practice (15 minutes)

Put students in pairs and give each pair a Role play card (see Hand out 1). Allow for a couple of
minutes preparation time and then have pairs take turns making their presentation to the class. This
preparation should include an introduction (i.e. “Good evening, my name is ______ and I work as a
sales representative for Ace Corporation”), an appropriate conclusion (i.e. “Thanks for your time. If
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you have any questions we would be happy to answer them for you!”), and questions from the
audience. The teacher may note these examples on the board if these phrases are unfamiliar to
students. Hand out 2 contains some mock business cards that may be used for added effect (i.e. give
students a business card, have them write their names on it, and then have them hand them out
formally as part of their presentation).

The Role play situations are as follows:

Role A: You are a Sales Representative for ACE Corporation. You work in one of the overseas

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sales centers, based in China. Today you are to give a presentation about your company and its
products to some officials from the local Education Department.

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You should be prepared to talk about:

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• The history of the company
• The location of the company
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The number of offices and factories
• The advantages of your products

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Role B: You are a Recruitment Specialist for United Industries. You are based in the Beijing
\office. Today you are to give a presentation to a graduating class from a local university. Your aim is
to encourage recent graduates to join your company.
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You should be prepared to talk about:

• The history of the company

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• The location of the company

• The number of employees
•
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The benefits of a career in United Industries

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Activity 6: Homework Assignment (5 minutes)

1. Write a short article comparing the two companies (Ace and United Industries). This should include
both similarities and differences. Come to class prepared to answer the question: Which company
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would you prefer to work for? Why?

2. Write a description of your company and come to class prepared to make a presentation on this
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topic (that is, not just reading it out!). The information that you provide should cover the same points
as in this lesson (e.g. History, Location, Products/Services, Customers, Employees, Competitors, and
Sales/Profits.

If you aren’t working at present, write about a former company. If you’ve never had a job, interview a
relative or friend about their company.

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3. Research and write up a description of a well-known company, such as Nike or Samsung, using the
same guidelines. You should be able to find all the information you need on the internet!

Transcript
Ace Corporation
This is Ace Corporation. It was established in 1920, more than ninety ago. Ace manufactures sporting
equipment such as tennis rackets, tennis balls, and fishing rods. It's a well-managed company, and its products
are well made.

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Its main office is in New York, and there is another office in L.A. Ace has two factories. Its main factory is in
Chicago. The other factory is in Miami. Its head office has three hundred employees. The L.A. office employs
around fifty. Five thousand people are employed in the Chicago factory, and another one thousand, one hundred

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and fifty work in the Miami factory.

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Ace's main customers are general consumers. Its products are also sold to schools and other organizations. In
recent years the company has done well. Sales and profits have both increased. Its main competitors are foreign
companies from Europe and Asia. Because of its high quality products, however, Ace has been successful.

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United Industries
This is United Industries, an American company. It manufactures advanced products such as rocket engines,
satellites, and aircraft parts. United was established in 1960 by a small group of engineers. At that time it made

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rocket engines for other companies. In 1965 it started to make aircraft parts, including small jet engines. Since
then it has opened up new factories and offices in Europe and Asia.
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United is based in Seattle, Washington, where its main factory is located. It also has offices in Europe, Asia, and
other locations around the world. There are three factories. The main one is in Seattle, another is in Montreal,
and the third is in London. United is a large company, employing almost 25000. 2000 employees work in the
London factory. In Montreal, the company has 5000 employees, including part-time workers. The two factories
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outside the US employ a total of around 7000 workers.

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In recent years the company has done well. Sales and profits have both increased. United sells its products to
many different countries. Some of its products are used for military purposes. Unfortunately, these kinds of
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products are used too often.

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Handout 1: Company Presentation Role Plays

Role A: You are a Sales Representative for ACE Corporation. You work in one of the overseas
sales centers, based in China. Today you are to give a presentation about your company and its
products to some officials from the local Education Department.
You should be prepared to talk about:

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• The history of the company
• The location of the company

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• The number of offices and factories
•

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The advantages of your products

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Role B: You are a Recruitment Specialist for United Industries. You are based in the Beijing
office. Today you are to give a presentation to a graduating class from a local University. Your aim is
to encourage recent graduates to join your company.
You should be prepared to talk about:
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• The history of the company
• The location of the company
•
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The number of employees

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• The benefits of a career in United Industries

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Role A: You are a Sales Representative for ACE Corporation. You work in one of the overseas
sales centers, based in China. Today you are to give a presentation about your company and its
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products to some officials from the local Education Department.

You should be prepared to talk about:
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• The history of the company

• The location of the company
• The number of offices and factories
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• The advantages of your products

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Role B: You are a Recruitment Specialist for United Industries. You are based in the Beijing
office. Today you are to give a presentation to a graduating class from a local University. Your aim is
to encourage recent graduates to join your company.
You should be prepared to talk about:
• The history of the company
• The location of the company

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 Web International Business Intermediate Private Class 1

• The number of employees

• The benefits of a career in United Industries

Business Cards

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___________________
Recruitment Specialist

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__________________
Sales Representative
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___________________
Recruitment Specialist
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 Web International Business Intermediate Private Class 1

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__________________
Sales Representative

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BI-1 Homework

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1. Write a short article comparing the two companies (Ace and United Industries). This
should include both similarities and differences. Come to class prepared to answer the

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question: Which company would you prefer to work for? Why?

2. Write a description of your company and come to class prepared to make a presentation on
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this topic (that is, not just reading it out!). The information that you provide should cover the
same points as in this lesson (e.g. History, Location, Products/Services, Customers,
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Employees, Competitors, and Sales/Profits.

If you aren’t working at present, write about a former company. If you’ve never had a job,
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interview a relative or friend about their company.

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3. Research and write up a description of a well-known company, such as Nike or Samsung,

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using the same guidelines. You should be able to find all the information you need on the
internet!
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BI-1 Homework
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1. Write a short article comparing the two companies (Ace and United Industries). This
should include both similarities and differences. Come to class prepared to answer the
question: Which company would you prefer to work for? Why?

2. Write a description of your company and come to class prepared to make a presentation on
this topic (that is, not just reading it out!). The information that you provide should cover the
same points as in this lesson (e.g. History, Location, Products/Services, Customers,
Employees, Competitors, and Sales/Profits.
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 Web International Business Intermediate Private Class 1

If you aren’t working at present, write about a former company. If you’ve never had a job,
interview a relative or friend about their company.

3. Research and write up a description of a well-known company, such as Nike or Samsung,

using the same guidelines. You should be able to find all the information you need on the
internet!

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