[CBQMTA] READING TIẾNG ANH HỌC PHẦN 3 HỆ CHẤT LƯỢNG CAO
GIÁO TRÌNH BUSINESS PARTNER
UNIT 1
1.
Morgan Stanley has started extending its month-long paid sabbatical scheme to include some of its junior bankers. Credit Suisse is now encouraging all European employees to take Friday night and Saturday morning off. Swiss rival UBS tells employees to keep two hours a week for personal business. And JP Morgan has told employees to take every weekend off unless they are working on a ‘live deal’ and has relaxed its dress code to business casual. Non-bankers may think these work-life balance efforts (Friday nights off? two hours a week?) are not important, but they may truly improve the lives of many young Wall Street and City employees.
The banks are also taking specific steps to improve retention at a time when other companies have been stealing some of their young stars. Goldman Sachs was the first to implement a junior banker retention initiative that included quicker promotions, fewer menial tasks, and more diverse work. Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays soon followed. By the time they have been there a few months, Morgan Stanley will have told top first-year analysts that they have a bright future at the bank.
These retention efforts make sense when looking at the recent survey of millennials in 25 countries by Manpower Group. It found that 21- to 36-year-olds prioritize job security above everything except money when choosing their employers. Before the financial crisis, Wall Street could use huge bonuses to keep its young employees. Now the banks have to find other ways to do this. Humane working environments and proper career development are a good way to start.
Hopefully, within a few years, these new initiatives will have made a real difference. The best way to get staff members to care whether their employer will be doing business in the future is to convince them that they will be working there when it happens.
Read the article and decide if these sentences are true or false.
1. All bankers at Morgan Stanley are given month-long paid sabbaticals
2. JP Morgan expects its employees to dress formally for work
3. People outside the banking world think that not working Friday nights or having two free hours every week is very important for employees.
4. Goldman Sachs has a specific strategy to keep their junior bankers.
5. Millennials do not put salary first when looking for a job.
6. Employees need to believe that they have a future at a company in order to support it.
ANSWER KEY
- FALSE
- FALSE
- FALSE
- TRUE
- TRUE
- TRUE
2. Success can be a game with many players
by Sarah Murray
One of the side effects of the free food for Google staff is what is known as the ‘Google 15’ – the number of pounds that employees typically gain after joining the Internet company. But whether it is providing snacks and gourmet meals in the canteen, annual skiing trips, or games rooms at the office, the philosophy behind such perks is the same – getting staff to meet each other, interact in informal settings and encourage teamwork.
One way the company does this is to hold competitions in everything, from office decorating to dancing and football, with prizes for the winners. Managers also receive a quarterly ‘celebratory fund’ either to reward accomplishments or to build teamwork by going bowling, go-karting, or dining out.
The Best Workplaces survey indicates that such initiatives have a, for example, 90 percent of the employees agreed that ‘people celebrate special events around here. Also in Italy, 100 percent agreed that ‘this is a friendly place to work’ and 96 percent agreed that ‘there is a “family” or “team” feeling here.
Another part of Google’s objective is to make its workplace feel fun. Massage chairs, table-tennis tables, video games, lava lamps, hammocks, beanbags, bicycles, large rubber balls, couches, and scooters are all part of the furniture in Google offices.
However, when it comes to the serious business of work, great emphasis is placed on engaging employees. ‘What makes Google a great workplace is that the nature of the work itself is very challenging and interesting.’ says Nick Creswell, the company’s university programs manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. ‘And for the type of people who really enjoy an intellectual challenge, that’s the biggest appeal of working here.’
Fostering this intellectual activity is a policy giving employees a large degree of independence in deciding how to work – both in terms of the hours they work and how they do their jobs. ‘There’s a real culture of autonomy and empowerment,’ says Mr. Creswell. ‘Individuals within the business understand what their own goals are within the context of their teams, and they have a lot of freedom to go out and make those happen.’
Even when it comes to learning and development, many programs are voluntary and informal. Often it may be a case of inviting university faculty in to discuss their latest research. Google also invites prominent writers to give lunchtime talks about their books.
Task 1: Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. Google promotes the idea of staff getting together.
2. Every month, managers get money to build teamwork or reward staff.
3. Ninety percent of Google Italy workers thought it was a friendly place to work.
4. The furniture in Google offices is different to that in most offices.
5. The work is challenging, and you need a university degree to work there.
6. Employees know what their objectives are and have the freedom to achieve them.
7. Employees have the opportunity to listen to well-known or important authors.
Task 2: Choose the correct answer for each question.
1/ What does Google NOT do to encourage teamwork?
A. providing gourmet meals
B. bringing games to the office
C. holding ski trips every year
D. providing free luxury cars to managers
2/ How often do managers at Google receive a “celebratory fund”?
A. once a year
B. twice a year
C. 3 times a year
D. 4 times a year
3/ Who is Nick Creswell?
A. the company’s CEO
B. a senior student
C. a marketing manager
D. a senior staff
4/ What is special about Google’s learning and development programs?
A. They are formal
B. They are challenging
C. They are voluntary and informal
D. They are competitive
ANSWER KEY
TASK 1:
- TRUE
- FALSE
- FALSE
- TRUE
- FALSE
- TRUE
- TRUE
TASK 2:
- D
- D
- D
- C
UNIT 3
New Adidas chief raises group’s sales and earnings targets
Adidas on Wednesday sharply increased its long-term sales and profit targets, as new chief executive Kasper Rorsted aims to make his mark on the German sportswear group.
Adidas’s profitability falls behind that of rival Nike, and investors are hoping that Mr Rorsted will be able to boost the German groups’ margins considerably.
Mr Rorsted, who took charge of the world’s second largest sportwear company in October, has kept the previous CEO’s strategy, which forecast high sales increases and 15 percent profit growth each year.
The Danish manager – who caught Adidas’s attention after he boosted profitability at Henkel, the German customer goods company – said that the group is certain to expand faster.
Mr Rorsted is targeting sales increases if 10 to 12 percent for the next three years, and profit growth of 20 to 22 percent. “We will become better and more efficient.” he said. “This, in turn, will help us to grow even faster than originally planned and to achieve … bottom-line improvements for our shareholders.”
Alongside strong results last year – Adidas sales rose 14 recent to €19.3bn, while net profit increased by 59 percent to €1bn – the higher revenue and earnings targets helped push the group’s shares up more than 6 percent in Wednesday morning trading in Frankfurt.
Part of the reason for Nike’s better profitability compared to Adidas is the group’s strong position in the North Ameriacan market. Adidas made up ground last year, regaining its second position in the region, although it is thought that it probably won’t gain first position in the U.S. market in the next quarter.
However, Mr Rorsted admitted that Adidas was still “underrepresented” in North America, and says the group will probably continue to invest more than in other areas.
Adidas is also likely to sell off unwanted businesses. The group put its golf brands up for sale last year.
Adidas’s online sales are also due to rise. The group reported it had €1bn of digital sales last year. Mr Rorsted has also said they are aiming to boost sales to €4bn over the next three years.
I/ Read the article and complete the sentences using figures.
1. The previous CEO at Adidas had forecast profit growth of ___ each year.
2. The new CEO says it is likely profits will go up between ___ and ____ for the next ___ years.
3. Last year net profit increased by ___ to €____.
4. The higher revenue and earnings targets raised shares by more than ____.
5. The Adidas group reported digital sales of ____ last year.
6. Over the next 3 years they are hoping to reach digital sales of €___.
II/ Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions.
1. Adidas’s profitability falls ___ that of rival Nike.
2. Mr Rorsted took charge ___ Adidas in October.
3. Mr Rorsted is targeting sales increases ___ 10 to 12 percent ___ the next three years.
4.The higher revenue and earnings targets helped push the group’s shares____more than 6 percent.
5. The group put its golf brands up ____ sale last year.
ANSWER KEY
I/
- 15%
- 20%, 22%, 3
- 59%, 1 billion
- 6%
- 1 billion
- 1 billion
II/
- behind
- of
- of, for
- up
- for
UNIT 4
Stak Tek, a technology management specialist which helps companies deal with digital change in the workplace, is organising ‘Brave New World’, an international event that focuses on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing business today. The event will provide help in one central place for companies struggling to adapt to digital transformation and disruption. It will also allow business managers and owners access to the latest innovations and an opportunity to exchange ideas with companies that have successfully made the transformation. Top experts will be on hand to offer advice on how the latest digital technologies can work to improve a company’s efficiency and effectiveness. Current evidence suggests that businesses that are brave enough to embrace digital advancements and the resulting changes to their organisations are the ones that will survive and race ahead of the competition.
1. What kind of company is Stak Tek?
a. an AI-powered start-up
b. a technology management specialist
c. a high-tech consultancy
2. What sort of companies is the event aimed at?
a. companies struggling to adapt to digital transformation and disruption
b. companies hoping to increase their revenues
c. companies investing in R&D
- What kind of advice will experts be giving?
a. to embrace digital advancements
b. how to access to the latest innovations
c. how digital technologies can improve efficiency and effectiveness
- Why is it important for companies to make the digital transformation?
a. They will make less profit.
b. They will be left behind if they don’t embrace digital advancements and changes
c. They will be out of business.
ANSWER KEY
- B
- A
- C
- B
REFERENCE
