Unit
5
Corporate Life
Corporate Life
Warming-up
Reading
Language in Use
Project
Culture Tips
Homework
Warming-up
A. Listen to a monologue describing a successful
businesswoman and answer the following questions.
She painted
designs
on hair
them to a children’s shop.
1. What
did Beth
do when
sheribbons
startedand
hertook
business?
Specialty
shops.
2. In
what shops
did she sell her products?
Some are
of her
most
products are
beaded products, picture
3. What
some
ofsuccessful
her most successful
products?
frames, shirts, and ties.
One ofisthe
hardest
forthings
her is keeping
4. What
one
of thethings
hardest
for her?up with fashion trends.
Yes.she made any mistakes?
5. Has
6. Did
No. the beads she ordered from Germany sell well?
7. Was
sheattitude
very sad
her setback?
No. Her
is about
still positive.
8. What
hasdecided
she decided
do? tuxedo shirts.
She has
to starttobeading
Warming-up
B. Listen again and fill in the blanks with the
information you hear.
Beth started her business when she was only twelve years old .
How did she get her start? She painted designs on hair ribbons and
took them to a children’s shop. The owner liked them and ordered
five dozens of them. In the last three years
, Beth has made
selling her hand-painted products to specialty shops in twelve states
.
She says she’ll custom-designanything. Some of her most successful
products are beaded products, picture frames , shirts, and ties.
Warming-up
Beth started her business when she was only twelve years old. How
did she get her start? She painted designs on hair ribbons and took them
to a children’s shop. The owner liked them and ordered five dozens of
them. In the last three years, Beth has made $15,000 selling her handpainted products to specialty shops in twelve states. She says she’ll
custom-design anything. Some of her most successful products are
beaded products, picture frames, shirts, and ties. Beth says that one of
the hardest things for her is keeping up with fashion trends. She has
made some mistakes. For example, she predicted that one of her hottest
selling items would be the beaded products. She ordered ninety-six
thousand beads from Germany. Unfortunately, it was a big mistake. They
didn’t sell. So now she has sixty-five thousand beads lying in her
basement.
Despite all the setbacks, her attitude is still positive. She says she’s
decided to start beading tuxedo shirts. If her prediction is right, the
beaded shirts will sell like hot cakes.
BACK
Warming-up
C. Discuss the following questions.
1. In terms of starting a business, what can we learn from Beth’s
story?
2. If you want to start a business, what do you want to do? How
will you manage it?
BACK
Reading
Pre-reading
Tasks
Reading
Comprehension
After-reading
Tasks
BACK
Pre-reading Tasks
Before you read, discuss the following questions in
groups:
a. What do you think are the criteria for a good presentation?
b. What is a corporate presentation? What is the purpose of it?
What makes a good corporate presentation?
BACK
Reading Comprehension
Corporate Presentations
1 On a flight from New York I found myself sitting next to the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of a manufacturing company. We chatted
about the coming elections, power of the media and so on. He made
reference to a media problem his company was facing. Naturally
interested in corporate communications, I said: “Bill, what exactly does
your corporation do?”
2 His reply, which lasted about 15 minutes, was relaxed,
illuminating, articulate, anecdotal, sometimes humorous and
enthusiastic to the point of passion. I sat there absorbed in what he
was saying and learned the history supporting his vision for the
company, its strengths and weaknesses, and its expansion plans.
Reading Comprehension
3 Later, he told me how tough he found making presentations. I
was surprised he considered himself a dull speaker and dreaded
talking to any group, to his staff, at customer meetings, at public
meetings and to his shareholders.
4 His Public Relations department had recently put together a
corporate slide presentation which covered the company’s statistics
but it hadn’t helped him. The question I want to ask is this: Why
should there be such a big gap between the interesting, stimulating
view of both the company and the CEO himself that I was exposed to,
and the nervous and not entirely credible performance given to Bill’s
unfortunate audiences? What golden opportunities are being missed
to establish or develop the company’s image and credibility?
Reading Comprehension
5 This example highlights the single and most powerful weapon
missing from most organisations’ marketing arsenals—an exciting
well-delivered corporate presentation. Many companies do not have
one, or if they do, it is a dull, fact-filled delivery. This is often made by
an executive who might be a boardroom genius but who should never
speak in public on the company’s behalf.
6 Unfortunately, when we stand up to speak today we are all
being compared to the best speakers we see on TV, consciously or
subconsciously. It’s unavoidable. Over the years I have analysed the
critical elements that help to put power into the corporate
presentation and had the good fortune to work with companies
who experienced great success with a similar formula. Here are its
critical ingredients.
Reading Comprehension
7 It begins with the CEO and the board. It is their vision and
mission which must be projected. And I want to hear their story
directly from them and not through an intermediary. The story can
then be developed and matched to different audiences. It can also be
adapted to the personalities of the different key presenters.
8 The facts and figures are then gathered and arranged to support
the story. To add to the necessary emotive interest, personal
experiences and anecdotes are used to enhance key points.
9 Only then can we create supportive visuals and hand out
materials which have to be graphically exciting, have relatively few
words and be designed to complement the presenters’ story.
Reading Comprehension
10 Next come the key presenters. To ensure a top delivery, we should
review the final product. Anything from a brief run-through to rehearsal
sessions with video-playback and analysis. This will complete that
essential bond between the speakers and their support materials.
11 The presenter will not need a script, and must never use one for a
corporate presentation. If people can’t speak freely and confidently
about their own company, their credibility is blown already. That is why
we begin with the key executives’ own stories, in their own words.
Without fail, they now discover they can give the corporate presentation
with great interest and flexibility. They suddenly become a pleasure to
listen to.
12 Now, we can take this core presentation throughout the company,
using it selectively and adding necessary modules for different company
divisions and levels. The same story should be used for press releases.
And most importantly, the entire staff should hear it.
Reading Comprehension
13 The core presentation is a dynamic mechanism. It should be
regularly updated to reflect commercial, political and social changes.
A single executive must be assigned to manage this process to insure
that the presentation is always a vital reflection of the company as it
is today.
14 Now the corporate presentation is “choreographed” for
maximum impact by the key players throughout the organisation.
All the audiences now hear the same basic story from all the staff.
Not by rote, but with the individuality of each presenter, whether it
be at a formal meeting or a social occasion. It’s impossible not to
benefit from the power of these positive communications. And the
corporate presentation is the nucleus of it.
BACK
After-reading Tasks
A. Answer the following questions.
1. How did the writer meet the Chief Executive Officer of a manufacturing
company?
On a flight from New York, he found himself sitting next to the CEO.
2. What’s the name of the Chief Executive Officer?
Bill.
3. What problem did the Chief Executive Officer mention that his company
was facing?
A media problem.
4. Is the Chief Executive Officer good at speaking publicly?
No, he isn’t.
5. How did the Chief Executive Officer think of his own talk to
his audience? He considered himself a dull speaker.
After-reading Tasks
B. According to the text, what are the core elements of
preparing and delivering a successful corporate
presentation? List in the box below the DOs and
DON’Ts for a good corporate presentation.
DOs
Reflect the vision and mission of
the CEO and the board.
Gather facts and figures, and
arrange them to support the
story.
…
DON’Ts
Get stories of the CEO and
the board through an
intermediary.
Use the same presentation in
all cases.
…
After-reading Tasks
C. Paraphrase the underlined parts in the following
sentences.
1. His reply, which lasted about 15 minutes, was relaxed, illuminating,
articulate, anecdotal, sometimes humorous and enthusiastic to the
point of passion.
showing so much interest and excitement that his answer was passionate
2. Many companies do not have one, or if they do, it is a dull, fact-filled
delivery.
the presentation is very boring and it only consists of some basic facts
3. Over the years I have analysed the critical elements that help to put
power into the corporate presentation…
the essential factors which make the corporate presentation a powerful one
4. To ensure a top delivery, we should review the final product.
To make sure that the presentation is of the top quality
5. The core presentation is a dynamic mechanism.
The most important issue of the presentation is to keep it changing.
BACK
Language in Use
Grammar
Vocabulary
Development
Building
BACK
Grammar Development
⑴ sit是不及物动词，而seat是及物动词，使用seat时要用be
seated或seat oneself两种形式。
如：“玛丽坐在书桌旁。”这句话可译为：Mary sat at the desk./
Mary was seated at the desk./Mary seated herself at the desk.
而不能译为：Mary seated at the desk.
⑵ sit只能用作动词，而seat除用作动词外，还可用作名词，意思
是“座位”。
如：Here’s a seat for you. 要表达“请坐”，可以说：Have a
(the)
seat/take a (the) seat，意思相当于sit down. Take this seat. 请坐
这儿.
Grammar Development
⑶ seat表示“使坐于坐的姿势”。如：He seated the child on his
knee. 他让孩子坐在膝上。
练习：
1. When the speaker found all the guests A , he began his speech.
A. seated
B. taken their seats C. sitting down D. seating
2. The pilot asked all the passengers on board to remain C as the
plane was making a landing.
A. seat
B. seating
C. seated
D. to be seating
BACK
Vocabulary Building
Use words in a different word class
Exercise 1: Tell the meanings of the following words in different word
classes.
n.
圆形物；一回合；圆；循环
adj. 圆的；完全的；大概的；肥胖的
round
adv. 在周围；朝反方向；迂回地；挨个
v.
vt. 围捕；完成；弄圆；绕行
vi. 环行；变圆；发胖；进展
prep. 绕过；在…周围；大约；附近
Vocabulary Building
n.
爱好；同样的人或物
adj. 相似的；同样的
like
adv. 可能
v.
vt. 喜欢；愿意；想
vi. 希望；喜欢
prep. 像；如同
conj. 好像
Exercise 2: Work in pairs. Find words that have more than 3 word
classes. What words you find that has the most word
classes?
BACK
Project
Suppose you are invited by the Student Union
to give a one-hour introduction of college life
to the freshmen. You are required to make the
presentation with the aid of PowerPoint.
Work in groups of four and follow the steps
below.
Step 1
Brainstorm what you want to introduce to the freshmen. The
following aspects are for your reference: room and board,
academic study, entertainment and social activities. Assign one
student to take notes.
Project
Step 2
Summarise the brainstorming results and classify them into
different categories. Discuss them in groups and reselect the
ideas according to the audience’s interest and the time set.
Step 3
Think of the questions the audience might ask and prepare the
answers.
Project
Step 4
Work out a slide presentation. Try to make the PPT more
attractive by using real-life pictures, video clips, music, etc.
Step 5
Rehearse within your group in turn. The main content of the
presentation should be the same, but the style may vary
according to different presenters.
Step 6
Select a member in your group to deliver the presentation to
the whole class.
BACK
Culture Tips
There is a number of complex and often interrelated factors that
explain the existence of the gender pay gap.
Direct discrimination
• Some women are paid less than men for doing the same job.
(This factor only explains a small part of the gender pay gap, due
to the effectiveness of the EU and national legislation.)
Culture Tips
The undervaluing of women’s work
• More frequently women earn less than men for doing jobs of equal
value. One of the main causes is the way women's competences are
valued compared to men's.
• Jobs requiring similar skills, qualifications or experience tend to be
poorly paid and undervalued when they are dominated by women
rather than by men. For example, the (mainly female) cashiers in a
supermarket usually earn less than the (mainly male) employees
involved in stacking shelves and other more physical tasks.
• In addition the evaluation of performance, and hence pay level and
career progression, may also be biased in favour of men. For example,
where women and men are equally well qualified, more value can be
attached to responsibility for capital than to responsibility for people.
Culture Tips
Segregation in the labour market
• Women and men still tend to work in different jobs. On the one hand,
women and men often predominate in different sectors. On the other
hand, within the same sector or company women predominate in lower
valued and lower paid occupations.
• Women often work in sectors where their work is lower valued and
lower paid than those dominated by men.
• Moreover, women are frequently employed as administrative
assistants, shop assistants or low skilled or unskilled workers — these
occupations accounting for almost half of the female workforce.
• Women are under-represented in managerial and senior positions.
Culture Tips
Traditions and stereotypes
• Traditions and stereotypes may influence, for example, the choice of
educational paths and, consequently, professional careers that girls and
women make.
• While 55% of university students are women, they are a minority in
fields like mathematics, computing and engineering. Only 8.4 in 1.000
women aged 20-29 are graduates in mathematics, science and
technology compared to 17.6 men. Consequently, there are fewer
women working in scientific and technical jobs. In many cases this
results in women working in lower valued and lower paid sectors of the
economy.
• Because of these traditions and stereotypes, women are expected to
reduce their working hours or exit the labour market to carry out child
or elder care.
Culture Tips
Balancing work and private life
• Women experience greater difficulties than men when it comes to
balancing work and private life.
• Family and care responsibilities are still not equally shared. The task
of looking after dependent family members is largely borne by women.
• Although part-time work may be a personal choice, women have
greater recourse to part-time work in order to combine work and family
responsibilities. There is evidence of pay gap when looked at from the
differences in hourly earnings of part-time and full-time workers.
• Consequently, women have more career interruptions or work
shorter hours than men. This can impact negatively on their career
development and promotion prospects. It also means less financially
rewarding careers.
BACK
Homework
Suppose you are a salesman. Try
to advertise one of your products
(it can be anything from your
everyday life) to your potential
customers (your classmates) with
the aid of PPT. Make good
preparations and do the
presentation next class.