情境國際商務英語

1.Happinessatwork1.11I’malawyer.Iworkinpropertylaw-Idoallthelegalworkconnectedwithbuyingandsellingbuildingsandland.Myjobisalwaysinteresting.Iespeciallylikemeetingdifferentclients–everydayisdifferent,infact.Iwork60hoursaweekandsometimesIgetverystressed,butmostofthetimeIfeelverypositiveaboutmyjob.2I'mafitnessinstructor.IrunfitnessclassesatgymsandleisureclubsbutIhavesomeprivateclientstoo.Iplanexerciseprogrammesforthemandgototheirhomestohelpthemgetfit.IlikethisjobalotbecauseIcanorganizemyowntime.Andit'sveryrewardingtoseepeoplegetfitandhealthy.It’smoresatisfyingthanmyoldjob-Iusedtoworkinanoffice.Ihatedthat.3I'manaccountant.Ispecializeinbankruptcy-soIspendallmytimedealingwithcompaniesthathavegoneoutofbusiness.Myjobisprettyvaried.Iliketheflexibility-inmycompany,youcanstartworkwhenyouwantandleavewhenyouwant,aslongasyou'rethereduringthecorehours,fromtentothreeeveryday.That'sarealbonusforaworkingmother.It'smuchmoreflexiblethansomeofthelargeraccountancyfirms.Andit'swell-paidsoI'mverylucky,really.4I'macivilservant.Iworkinregionalgovernment.I'minadepartmentwithtenotherpeople.Ourjobistoattractinvestmentintothearea.Inthepastfiveyears,we'vepersuadedmorethan20overseascompaniestosetupoperationshere.ILovetheteamwork-I'matmybestworkinginateam.ThisisthemoststimulatingjobI'veeverhad,andI'mhappierinmyworkthanmostpeopleIknow.And,ofcourse,asacivilservant,myjobisverysecure.1.21Myname'sFrancoise.I'm38andIliveinParis.Ihavethreechildrenundertheageoften.WhenI'mnotatwork,Ispendallmytimewiththem2Letmesayafewwordsaboutmyself.Myname'sHarvey.I'mfromWisconsin.IwasborninMilwaukee,onLakeMichigan.NowIworkontheEastCoast,butILovegoingbacktomyhometownwheneverIcan.3Myname'sLyn.IworkinsalesandIlovemyjob!IworkforDigicom-it'sabigITdistributor.It'sagreatcompanytoworkfor.4Hi,myname'sMichaelbuteverybodycallsmeMick.Mypassionisbridges.Ialwaysspendmyholidaysvisitingthem.LastyearwewenttothesouthofFrancetoseethenewbridgeatMillau.It'sabsolutelyfantastic.5Hello,myname'sLucy.IwasbroughtupinthenorthofEngland.MyfamilymovedsouthwhenIwasateenagerandI'velivednearLondoneversince.6Myname'sLudwig.I'minretail.Iworkforalargechainoffurniturestores.We'rebasedinFrankfurtbutItravelallovertheworldformyjob.1.31I’mnotsogoodatstructuringmyday.ItaketimetosortthingsoutandsometimesIfinditdifficulttodecideonmypriorities.2PeopletellmethatI'magoodlistener.Someofmycolleaguestalktomewhentheyhaveproblems.I'mhappytohelpifIcan.3IgetonwellwithmycolleaguesandIreallyenjoyworking,withmyteam.Wegoouttogetheralot-foramealoradrinkafterwork.2.Motivation2.11I’macallcentremanagerinthefinancialservicesindustry.Ibelieveit'simportant,toletpeopleworkwithoutconstantsupervision-youhavetoletthemusetheirinitiative;otherwise,theyfeelthey'rebeingtreatedlikechildren.Ofcourse,thereareprocedurestofollowbutweliketogiveemployeesasmuchflexibilityaspossiblewithinthoseprocedures.2I'masectionmanagerinaninsurancecompany.Wedothepaperworkrelatingtoinsuranceclaims.Theemployeesmustbehereby8a.m.andtheycan'tleavebefore5p.m.Iwanttoseewhatthey'redoingthewholetime.ThatwayIcanbesurethey'redoingtheworkwe'repayingthemtodo.3I’maseniormangerinanoilcompany.Iencourageyoungermanagersinmydepartmenttousetheirinitiative.Theyrespondtothiswell-itmotivatesthemandyou'canseetheirworkimproving.It'salsoagoodwaytoidentifypotentialfuturemanagersamongthem-theoneswhoaregoingtoreachthetopoftheorganizationinthefuture.4Iworkintheretailindustryforalargechainofdepartmentstores.I'minchargeof20salesassistants.Allthey'reinterestedinisgettingtotheweekend,anddoingaslittleaspossible.Ihavetokeepaneyeonthemthewholetime.Wedon’tallowanysortofinitiative-itjustleadstoproblemswhenpeoplestartignoringtheestablishedprocedures.2.21I'veworkedintheoilindustrysinceIgraduated.Ilikethewaytheydothingsinthiscompany.We'reencouragedtouseourinitiative-tothinkforourselvesandsolveproblems.Wegetourownprojectstolookafter-IthinktheyrealizethatpeoplewithMBAsneedthatkindofindependence.Andwe'rejudgedonresults,notbytheamountoftimewespendonthejob.2Themanager'sbreathingdownmyneckallthetime!Hewalksaroundthedifferentdepartments,checkingtheonthesalespeople-youneverknowwhenheisgoingtoappear.Theonlythinghe’sinterestedinisreachinghissaletarget.Wecan’tdoanythingwithoutaskinghimfirst.3Inthisorganization,likeinallinsurancecompanies,youjustfollowestablishedprocedure.Decisionsareimposedfromabove-there'snoconsultation.Anddon'teverdreamaboutworkingfromhome,notevenonedayaweek!Thatwouldneverbeallowed-theywanttoseewhatyou'redoingthewholetime.4I'veworkedinotherplaceswheretheymeasureyourworkveryprecisely-theydon'twantyoutospendmorethanthreeminutesoneachcall.Butherethere'smoreflexibility,andyoucanspendasmuchtimeasyouwantwitheachcustomer,withinreason,ofcourse.AsateamLeader,Igetalotofresponsibility,whichIlikeandIgetalotofsatisfactionfrommywork.Ithinkthatmotivatespeople.Andvaluedemployeesmakeforvaluedcustomers!2.3Michael:Wouldyoulikecoffeeortea?Susanne:Coffee,please.Michael:It'soverhere.Justhelpyourself.Wheredoyoucomefrom,Susanne?Susanne:IwasborninGermany,inFreiburg,inthesouthofGermany.Michael:Really?IthoughtyouwereAmerican.Susanne:Well,IwasbroughtupintheStates.Myfatherworkedthere.Michael:Oh,thatexplainstheaccent!Wheredidyoulive?Susanne:Wemovedaround,butmostlywelivedontheEastCoast.Michael:Didyougotouniversitythere?Susanne:No,IstudiedinLondon.AndI'vebeeninEnglandsinceIgraduated.Michael:Doyoumissyourfamily?Susanne:Well,mysisterisinEngland,too,andmyparentscomeovertovisitsometimes.Michael:DoyougetbacktotheStatesmuch?Susanne:Onceortwiceayear.Inmyfirstjobaftergraduation,IusedtotravelalotsoIsawmyparentsmoreoften.Michael:Whatwereyoudoing?Susanne:IwasatraineebuyerforafashionhouseinLondon.Michael:Thatsoundsfun!Susanne:Itwas,butafteracoupleofyears,Idecidedthefashionbusinesswasn’tforme.Michael:Whywasthat?Susanne:Oh,Idon'tknow.Thefashionbusinessisvery…Michael:Iguessit'sverycompetitive?Lotsofbeautifulpeople?Susanne:That'sright.It'sallaboutimage,asyouwouldexpect.Michael:Sohowexactlydidyouendupinthislineofbusiness?Susanne:Well,that'salongstory...2.4Forus,thefamilyisthemostimportantelementinourlives.Iusedtoworkforalocalinvestmentbankingcompany,AsianFinance.ItwasaSingaporeancompany,runbyalocalfamily-thefatherandtwosons.AtAsianFinance,familytieswereveryimportant.Manyofthepeoplewhoworkedtherewererelatedtoeachother.NowIworkforFinvest,aninternationalfinancecompany.TheheadofficeisinFranceandsomeofthemanagersarefromthere,buttherearealsosomeAmericans,oneortwootherEuropeans,andsomefromotherpartsofAsiaaswell.Sofamilydoesn'tcountformuchhere.TheAmericanstellmethatthecompanyisveryFrench,butIcan'treallytell.IhavesomefriendswhoworkforAmericanmultinationalsandtheyareverydifferent,that'strue.Finvestisquiteatraditionalcompany,maybethat'saEuropeanthing,Idon'tknow.Itcertainlyhasitsown,culture-peopledressveryformallyandthere'salotofhandshaking!2.5 AsIwassaying,everybodydressesveryformally-that'strueforthemenandthewomen.AndInoticethattheFrenchmanagerstendtoshakehandsoreven,kisswhentheymeeteachother.It'sawellestablishedbusiness-it'sbeengoingforgenerations.Therearepicturesonthewallsofsomeofthefoundersandkeypeopleovertheyears.Inoticetheformalityinlettersandreports-theexpressionstheyusearemuchmoreformalthanI'musedtoandgenerallywhenyouwrite,evenemails,youneedtobecarefulwhatyousay.3Incentives3.1A:...SowhatexactlyaretheincentivesifIexceedmyperformancetarget?B:Ifyoureach110percentofyourtargetfortheyear,you'llgetaperformancebonusof€1000.Butyouwon'tgetabonusunlessyoureachthetarget.A:WhatwillthebenefitspackagecontainifIjointhecompany?B:Welllet'ssee...healthinsurance,gymmembership...Wehaveanexcellentnewgymon-sitewithalltheLatestequipment...A:Isee.Couldyoutellmemoreaboutthehealthinsurance?B:Thecompanywillpayallhospitalbills,unlessyoudosomethingthat'snotcoveredbythepolicy,suchasparticipatingindangeroussports.A:WhathappensifI'mill?B:Ifyou'reill,you'llbeabletotakesickLeave.Butunlessyouphoneyourmanager,youwon'tbeabletotakemorethanthreedaysoff.A:Howmuchdoesthecompanycontributetothecompanypensionscheme?B:Thecompanypays80percentofthecontributions,andtheemployeeisresponsiblefor20percent.Ourfinancialadvisorwilladviseyouifyouneedhelpwithfinancialplanning.A:HowmuchpaternityleavewillIgetifwehavechildren?B:Fatherscantakethreemonths'paidleave,unlesstheydecidetoworkinstead,ofcourse!3.2Nikos:Couldwegothroughthedetailsagain,please?Phil:Ofcourse.Wewillsupplythecircuitboardsonanannualcontract,deliveringonceamonth,unlessyourequestextradeliveriesoryouwanttopostpone.Nikos:Couldyouclarifythat?Weneedtobesurethatwecanchangetheorder,ifnecessary.Phil:Yes,that'sOK.Wewilldeliveronthefifteenthofeachmonth,accordingtotheagreedschedule.Ifyoucontactusbythe28thofthepreviousmonth,wewillacceptachangeoforder.Nikos:So,thismeansthatwecanincreaseordecreasethequantity?Phil:Yes,that'scorrect.But,ofcourse,therewillbeaknock-oneffectonprice.Nikos:Whatdoyoumeanby'knock-on'?Phil:Imeanthatwehaveagreedaunitpricebasedonthescheduleofmonthlyorders.Ifyoudecreasethequantity,wecan'tofferyouthesameprice.Nikos:Yes,Iunderstand.Sowillyouchargeusatlistpriceifwedecreaseourmonthlyorderbymorethan20percent?Phil:That'sright.Ontheotherhand,attheendoftheyear,youmayqualifyforafurtherdiscountifyouhaveexceededtheplannedquantitysignificantly.Nikos: Sorry,I'mnotwithyou.Whatdoyoumeanby‘significantly’?Phil:Youwillqualifyforafurther10percentdiscountifordersexceedtheplannedquantitybymorethan20percent.Nikos:Right.Andwewouldexpecttoreceivethisasacreditnoteattheendoftheyear.Phil:That’sfineNikos:So,letmejustconfirmthat.Wewillcontractyoutodeliver250circuitboardspermonth,onthe,15thofeachmonth.Thiswillbeinvoicedattheendofeachmonthatarateof15perunit.3.3ProjectLeaderA:Thanksforcomingtothemeetingtoday.We'reatacriticalstageoftheproject,asyouknow,andI'dliketogiveyouallsomefeedback.Ithinkwe'reontrackbuttherearesomedifficulties.Howdoyouthinkit'sgoing?Peter?Peter: Prettywell.Asyousay,thereareafewproblemsbutmysideofthingsisgoingOK.ProjectLeaderA:Iampleasedtohearthat,Peter.Whataboutyou,Marta?Marta: Well,I'vegotsomeproblemswithmycontractorinSpainProjectLeaderA:That'swhatI'veheard.I'mworriedaboutthis,Marta.Themarketsarenotsureifyoucandeliverontime.Ithinkyouneedtoputpressureonyourcontractor.Otherwisewe'regoingtomissthedeadline.Miguel,Whataboutyou?Miguel: I'vebeengettinggoodfeedback.ProjectLeaderA:That'sgood.You'vebeendoingagreatjob,Miguel.OK,let'smoveonandlookatthe...3.4ProjectleaderB:Thanksforcomingtothemeetingtodayandthanksforallyourhardworkonthisproject.We'reatacriticalstageoftheproject,asyouknow,andwe'restartingtorunintosomeproblems.WehavesometightdeadlinestomeetandI'msureweallwanttostayontrack.SoIwanttousethismeetingtolookattheproblemsandtrytoworkoutsomesolutions.OK,let’sstartwith...4Workandleisure4.1Interviewer:Whatdopeoplemeanby'worklifebalance’?JackStevens:Wellmanypeoplethesedaysfeelthatworktakesuptoomuchoftheirtimeandenergy,soit'stheideathatpeoplewantabalancebetweenworkandlifeoutsidetheoffice-family,friends,leisureactivities,andsoon.Interviewer:Aha…JackStevens:Ofcourse,therearelawsinmanycountriestolimitthenumberofhoursthatpeoplecanwork.IntheEU,forexample,thereisalawthatpreventspeopleworkingmorethan48hoursperweek.It'swidelyknownthatworkinglonghourscanhaveseriousnegativeeffectsonpeople'shealthandwell-being-workinglonghourscancauseillnessandreduceLifeexpectancy.Interviewer:Right...JackStevens:Andinsomecountries,theweeklylimitismuchlower.Forexample,Francehasa35-hourweek.Interviewer:Butaren'tpeoplespendingmoreonleisureactivities?Businesseslikegymsandtravelcompanieshavebenefitedenormously...JackStevens:That'strue.Ofcoursethingshaveimprovedsincethe19thcentury...Interviewer:Aha...JackSteven:Inthosedayspeopleoftenworked18or20hoursaday,andsometimessleptinthefactorynexttotheirmachines-nogymsorweekendsawayforthem!Sowe'vecomealongwaysincethem.4.2Interviewer:Sohaveworkinghoursgonedownall overEurope?JackStevens:Yes.Ifyoulookatthefiguresfrom1996onwards,theyremainedsteadyatabout38.7hoursperweekandthentheyfellquitequickly,to38.3in1999and37.9in2000.Interviewer:Aha...JackStevens:Thenumberofhoursworkedroseslightlyin2001-thatyearpeopleworked38hoursaweekonaverage...Interviewer:OK.JackStevens:Butthenthefiguresstartedfallingagain:theyfellto37.9in2002,andthentheydecreasedto37.4in2003andwentdown;againslightlyto37.3in2004.Interviewer:So,since1996,thenumberofworkinghourshasdecreasedfrom38.7to37.3perweek?JackStevens:That'sright.Nowsomepeoplemayfindthis...4.3Frank: Westartednearly20yearsago.Itwasverytoughatthebeginningtoestablishthebusinessandbuildourclientbase.Weworkednightandday. .Dieter:Thatmusthavebeenhard.Frank:Itwas.Ittookusnearlythreeyearstogetestablished.OurfirstbigbreakthroughwaswhenwewonacontracttosupplytheMinistryofHealth.Dieter: Really?Frank: Yeah.Tobeginwith,wesuppliedacoupleofhospitalswithalarmsystemsbutnowthishasgrown,andwenowcoverthewholecountry.Andwealsosupplyhospitalsabroad.Dieter: Ididn'tknowthat.So,istheMinistryofHealthyourbiggestcustomer?Frank:Yes,itis.Butwe'veworkedhardtofindothercustomers,especiallyintheprivatesector.Infact,almost60percentofourworkisintheprivatesectornow.Dieter: Isthatwhereyouseeyourbusinessdeveloping?Frank:Yes,Ithinkso.Atthemoment,we'retryingtobreakintonewmarketsinsouth-eastAsia.Dieter: Ohthatcan'tbeeasy.Frank:No,itisn't.Youneedtohavegoodlocalpartners.Luckily,we'vefoundanexcellentpartnerinMalaysia...Dieter:That'sinteresting.Iwonderifit’sthesamepeopleweworkwith.Frank:I'vegottheircardheresomewhere…h(huán)ereitis...SunsetTradingCompany.Dieter:Idon'tbelieveit!Itwasjusttalkingtothemyesterday…5Entrepreneurs5.1Interviewer:Gabbie,youfoundedoneofthemostsuccessfulairlinesonthecontinent.What,inyouropinion,makesagoodentrepreneur?GabbieKung:Well,entrepreneurshavetobeexcellentcommunicators.Youneedtopersuadeinvestorstoinvestinyouridea.Then,whenyoustartyourbusinessyouhavetocommunicateyourvisiontothepeoplewhoworkforyou.Andthen,ofcourse,youhavetocommunicateyourproductorservicetopotentialcustomers.Interviewer:Whatothercharacteristicsdosuccessfulentrepreneursneed?GabbieKung:Entrepreneurshavetobeself-confidentindividuals.Theyhavetohaveconfidenceinthemselvesandtheiridea.Theyalsohavetobepersistentasthey'llneedtoovercomeallsortsofobstaclestoachievesuccess.Interviewer:Andwhataboutvision,whichyoumentionedearlier?GabbieKung:Yes,it'svitaltobeinnovativeandcreative.Youneedtooffersomethingnewsomethingthatisn'talreadyonthemarket.Youneedtobeabletograspideasandopportunitiesthatother,peoplemaymiss.Interviewer:Whydoyouthinksomanyentrepreneursfail?GabbieKung:Thereareallsortsofreasons.Ifwelookatpersonalcharacteristics,someentrepreneursareover-cautious-theyjustaren'tpreparedtotakerisks.Orthey'reunrealistic-theirgoalsandplansforthebusinessandthemselvesjustwon'tworkinpractice.Ortheymightbeinflexible-sometimesyouhavetobepreparedtochangeyourplansandstrategiestomakesurethebusinesssucceeds.Interviewer:Andwhataboutthebusinessesthemselves-whydosomanynewbusinessesfail?GabbieKung:Thereareallsortsofreasons:perhapstheproductorservicedoesn'treallyofferanythingnew,orpeopledon'tneedorwantit,orthegeneraleconomicsituationmaynotberight.Interviewer:Andwhydoyouthinkalotofsuccessfulbusinessideasstartwithindividualentrepreneurs,andnotinlargecompanies?GabbieKung:Well,manylargecompaniesareverybureaucratic,andnewideashavetogothroughlotsofcommitteesbeforeadecisionistaken. Theremayevenbeactiveresistancetodoingsomethingnewandunfamiliar.Individualentrepreneurshavealotmorefreedomtoact.5.21A:Wemovedrecently.WeusedtoliveinasmallflatinLondon.Nowwehaveabighouseinthecountry.B:That'squiteachange.Doyoulikethecountry?A:Yes,Ido.Wehavesomuchspaceandit'sreallyquiet.ILoveit.2A:HaveyouseenthelatestSpielbergfilm?B:No,Ihaven't.Isitanygood?A:It'shadgoodreviews.Wewerethinkingofgoingtoseeitthisevening.B:I'mnotkeenonactionfilms.Ipreferagoodhorrorfilm.3A:How'sthebusinessgoing?B:Verytough,atthemoment.Salesareprettyflat.A:Sameforus.There'snotmuchgrowthanditlookslikehighertaxesagainnextyear.B:Ican'tbelieveit.Ithoughtthisgovernmentwasmeanttobepro-business.4A:How'sthefamily?B:Fine,thanks.Ourdaughterhasjuststartedatuniversity.She'shavingagreattime.Howarethingswithyou?A:Well,didyouknowthatJaneandIseparatedafewmonthsago?I'mlivinginaflatonmyown.5A:Wewentonacruiseforthefirsttimethisyear.B:Wasn'titboring?Beingonashipallthetime?A:No,therewasplentytodo.Andwestoppedatanumberofdifferentplaces...6A:Didyouseethematchyesterday?B:No,Ididn't.Whatwasthescore?A:Fourthree.Itwasagreatmatch.Cityscoredfirstand...7A:Ireallymustgiveup.Foronething,it'scostingmeafortune.B:Youshould.You'dfeelmuchbetter.A:Iknow,butI'mworriedthatI'djustputonweight.B:Idon'tthinkyouwill.Ididn't...8A:Haveyoualwaysworkedinthepublicsector?B:No,IusedtoworkforanITcompany.Theymademeredundanttwoyearsago.Ittookmenearlyayeartofindthisjob.A:Yeah,it'snoteasythesedays.Howisthenewjob?B:It'sOK,butsometimesIgetabitbored.5.31Ithoughtthemeetingwasawasteoftime.Whatdidyouthink?2Youlookreallytired.3You'vegotsometime.Joinmeforadrink.4Youdidn'tmentionit,butareyoumarried?5Ithoughtyouwereverygoodinthatmeeting-verywellpreparedandclear.6I'dliketoinviteyouhome.Youcouldmeetmywifeandfamily.6.Creativity6.1Interviewer:...Asweweresayingearlier,creativityisveryhighlyvaluedinbusiness.Couldyougiveussomeexamples?JackieLang:Whenyouthinkofcreativityinbusiness,youtendtothinkofbrilliantnewinnovationsliketheApplepersonalcomputer,theInternetorthecellphone.Interviewer:Aha.JackieLang:Butcreativitycancomeinmuchsimplerforms,suchasametalbox.Interviewer:Ametalbox?Howdoyoumean?JackieLang:I'mthinkingoftheshippingcontainer.Interviewer:Oh...JackieLang:In1956,MalcolmMcLean,thebossofanAmericanroadtransportcompanyhadtheideaofputtinggoodsintometalcontainersthatcouldbetransportedbyshipandoffloadedontotrucksorrailwaywagons.Interviewer:It'soddthatnoonehadthoughtofcontainersbefore.JackieLang:Well,theyhad,buttheboxesweremixedwithothercargo,andtheyweren'tofastandardsizesotheycouldn'tbehandledeasily.Interviewer:Right...JackieLang:Noonerealizedhowcontainerswouldchangepatternsoftradearoundtheworld.In1968,therewereconsultantswhoconfidentlysaid:‘FivecontainershipswillbeenoughforallthetradebetweenBritainandtheUnitedStates.’Interviewer:That'sincredible!JackieLang:Nooneforesawtheexpansionoftradethattookplacebecausecontainersmadeitcheapenoughtotradegoodsthatweren'ttradedbefore.Interviewer:Right.Sonooneinthe1950ssaid'Containersaregoingtochangetheworld'?JackieLang:Exactly.Creativityproducesnewproductsandservices,butyoucan'talwaysbesureoftheimpact.6.21I'dlikeyoutohavethissmallgift.2Couldyousendmethefilewhenyougetback?3I'msorry,butI'velostthereport.4Byefornow.Haveagreatweekend.5Ihopewecanworktogetheragaininthefuture.6Wouldyouliketojoinuslaterfordinner?7Myflightleavesatfouro'clock.MayIleaveearly?8Thanksforyoursupport.9Whydon'twetakeataxi?10IsawKingKongonTVLastnight.Ithoughtitwasfantastic!6.31IworkfortheNationalHealthService.It'sahuge,bureaucraticorganizationwithalotofmanagementLayers.Theproblemisthatthetopmanagementarealongwayfromtherealityofnursesanddoctorsworkinginhospitals.2IworkforasmallfamilycompanycalledThornton.ThereareonlythreeLayersinthecompany.Weallknowtheboss,that'sMrs.Thornton.Shetookoverfromherfatheracoupleofyearsago.Thentherearethesupervisors,whoreporttoMrs.Thornton,andthentheworkers.Itworksprettywell.Wedon'tneedmiddlemanagers,really.3Iworkforamedium-sizedcompany.It'scalledTLCLtd.Wedon'thavesomanylayersbutwearestillfairlystructured.Themanagershavetheirownofficesandtheykeeptheirdistance.Iguesstherearearoundfourlayersbuttherearefairlybigdifferencesbetweenthelayers.4Wesetupourcompanynearlytenyearsago-it'scalledTheMetalCooperative:It'stotallyflat.Everybodyisanowner.It'saregisteredlimitedcompanybutallthemembersofthecooperativehavethesamenumberofshares,sowesharetheprofitsequally.7Start-ups7.1MayaNewman:Comein,Mr.Graham.Pleasesitdown.JayGraham:Thankyou.MayaNewman:I'vehadalookatyourbusinessplananditseemsasifyourideahasalotofpotential.JayGraham:Ithinkso,too.I'vebeenworkingonitfortwoyearsnow.WhatIneednowissomeadviceonwheretogofromhere.MayaNewman:Well,that'swhatI'mherefor.Thisadvisoryserviceisintendedforpeoplejustlikeyou.JayGraham:That'sgreat.Well,ofcourse,IknowIneedabacker.WhereshouldIgoforfinancialbacking?MayaNewman:Well,youcouldtryaventurecapitalcompany.Theseareorganizationsthatinvestinnewentrepreneurialideas.Theyknowthatsomeoftheideastheybackwillfail,somewilldoOK,andsome,hopefully,willbeveryprofitable.Theprofitableonesshouldmakeupforanylossesonotherinvestments.JayGraham:Areventurecapitaliststheonlypotentialinvestors?MayaNewman:No,therearealsobusinessangels.Theseareindividualinvestors,typicallybusinesspeoplewho'vealreadymademoneyfrompreviousventuresandarelookingfornewbusinessestoinvestin.JayGraham:Right.MayaNewman:Somebusinessangelsmayjustwanttobeasleepingpartner-theywon'twanttogetinvolvedintheday-to-dayrunningofthecompany.Otherswillwanttogetactivelyinvolvedinyourbusiness.Theywillhelpyoudevelopthebusiness...JayGraham:Isee...MayaNewman:Butwhetheryougotoaventurecapitalfirmorabusinessangel,agoodpitchisessential.JayGraham:Apitch?MayaNewman:Yes.Youhavetopresentyourideastoinvestors,andit'simportanttodoitbrieflyandclearly.Youshouldbeabletoawakentheirinterestinjustacoupleofminutes.Ifthey'reinterested,they’llaskyoutomakealongerpresentation.JayGraham:Solet'ssayIgetsomeinvestment,everythinggoeswell,andthecompanystartstogrow.Whataboutfutureexpansion?MayaNewman:Hmm,ifyousucceed,andthat'saverybig‘If’,youmayreachapointwhereyouneedmuchmoreinvestmenttoexpand.Inthatcase,thecompanyisfloatedonthestockexchangeinanIPO-that'saninitialpublicoffering.Thenthecompanyislistedonthestockmarket.Sharesinthecompanyareboughtandsoldbyinvestorsonthestockmarket.JayGraham:Right...MayaNewman:Butthat'salongwayoffyet!Concentrateforthemomentonfindinginvestorsforyourstart-up!7.21A:Thatbringsustothelastitemontheagenda-thebudgetforthemaintenanceprogramme.George,Ithinkyou'vepreparedsomefigures.B:That'sright.I'vegotthemhere.2A:I'dliketofixameetingfornextweek.B:Ofcourse.Whenwouldyouliketoholdit?A:HowaboutThursdayafternoonorFridaymorning?B:Doyouwantalltheteamtoattend?A:Ifpossible.Couldyouemailthemandchecktheiravailability?B:OK.Whatabouttheagenda?A:I’lldothattodayandyoucansenditouttomorrowmorning.3A:Didyougettheminutesofthelastmeeting?B:No,Ididn't.A:It'simportantthateveryonereadstheminutes.Peteragreedtocirculatethemafterthemeeting.B:He'sbeenonsickleave.A:Well,therearesomeimportantactionstofollowup...4Goodmorning,everyone.Nicetoseeyouall.Let'sgetdowntobusiness,shallwe?Wehavealottocovertoday.Haveyouallseen