UNIT ONE – ALLIANCES COURSEBOOK, p. 8; LISTENING TASK Complete the following sentences with the most suitable words. * _____________________= two or more companies join together to create a single company. * __________________= similar to a merger with one company taking control by buying more than half the shares. * _________________= two or more companies make a joint investment in a project without actually merging. * _______________= two people or businesses who work together. * ______________= an animal that kills and eats other animals: Description of the main picture of Unit One. The picture shows a man __________ a lion stalking his ___________ – a group of people ___________ a variety of animals. The scene represents a company boss preparing to pounce on weaker companies, as potential_________________. TASK Translate 1 perfektní aliance = ___________________ 2 oblíbený nápoj s příchutí kávy = ______________________________ 3 splnit strategické cíle = ________________________________ 4 čelit konkurenci sám = __________________________________ 5 silní/mocní hráči v automobilovém průmyslu =____________________________ 6 nemít od začátku šanci = ______________________________ 7 být spojován s image Disney = ____________________________ COURSEBOOK, p. 9 TASK Answer these questions: 1. Which attempt is more likely to succeed : acquisition of a company or creating a brand new business? What is the success rate for each of them? 2. What is it a conglomerate and why did they go out of fashion in the 1990s? 3. General Electric was a representative of what kind of company in the 1990s? 4. The attempt of Brian Roberts of Comcast, a giant cable company, to buy Disney is an example of what type of acquisition? Did this type of acquisition prove highly successful in the past? 5. What is more difficult to find a good acquisition target or to handle the future life of the newly created company? 6. Many CEOs have a tendency to overestimate or underestimate their abilities to make mergers. COURSEBOOK , p. 9; WORDFORMATION TASK Complete the gaps with the correct forms of the WORDS in brackets. 1. If CEOs wish to avoid some of the ___________ of the 1990s, /FAIL/ 2. they should not forget that they are ________ to the ____________ tendency of business planners to be over-confident. /SUBJECT, ETERNITY/ 3. It is a near ___________ that, if asked, almost 99% of them would describe themselves as “above average“ /CERTAIN/ 4. at making mergers and _____________ work. /ACQUIRE/ 5. They should also be aware that they will be __________ influenced by the herd instinct. /POWER/ 6. In the coming months they will have to watch _____________ to be sure that the _______________ space into which the predator in front of them is _______________ leaping does not life at the edge of a cliff./ CARE, COMPETITION, JOY/ COURSEBOOK, p. 9; TRANSLATION 1 zlepšit své (oni) naděje na úspěch = _____________________________ 2 často citovaná statistika = _______________________________ 3 konglomerát jako dobrý cíl akvizic vyšel z módy = _____________________ 4 hnát se za snem spojit zábavu s distribucí = ______________________ 5 získat a rozdělit podhodnocenou firmu = _________________________ 6 ovlivněn stádovým instinktem = ______________________________ WORKBOOK, p. 5; WORDFORMATION 1 IMS Health, a data and ________________ firm. /CONSULT/ 2 It´s a gloves-off business compared to the ________________ boxing match which is Big Pharma. /GENTLEMAN/ 3 Companies need to be big enough to dominate ___________________ channels. /DISTRIBUTE/ 1 udržovat nízké náklady = 2 omezený přístup k lékům = 3 plucky underdog business = 4 opportunity ebbs and flows = COURSEBOOK, p. 10, READING – TO MERGE OR NOT TO MERGE TASK Translate: 1 zajistit rychlý růst = ________________________________ 2 diverzifikovat investiční portfolio = __________________________ 3 prodej vládou vlastněných podniků = _____________________________ 4 získat potenciální soupeře = _______________________________ 5 šéfové společností na čekané = _________________________ 6 stát se možným cílem převzetí = __________________________ 7 neuspět ve zvýšení hodnoty pro akcionáře = __________________________ 8 vytvářet bohatsví pro všechny zúčastněné = _______________________ 9 vedoucí oddělení fúzí a akvizic = _____________________________ 10 osobnostní střety = _______________________________ 11 vydělat obrovské jmění = ______________________ Questions to the text: 1 Why do companies engage in mergers and acquisitions? 2 Why has made this activity more possible/easier these days? 3 What are the chances of performing a good acquisition? 4 What are the main reasons behind the alliances ending in failure COURSEBOOK, p. 12, LISTENING Part 1: TASK Translate: 1. we´ve been rewarded for our determination = _______________________________ 2. we´ve been approached with the acquisition deal = ___________________________ TASK Complete the gaps with one suitable word: We therefore saw the opportunity ______ an aliance with Wireless ______ a way to save the company. However, six months _______ the aliance, we didn´t feel like that any more. We had really serious problems __________ to intergrate our systems and cultures. Part 2: 1. předměty / body sporu Well, there were so many _____________________ you wouldn´t believe it. 2. protichůdné přístupy k; obchodování Different companies often have ___________________________ different aspects of __________________________. 3. řídit / zvládat We _____________ sales and marketing in a completely different way. 4. suitable word To ___________ an acquisition work, you have to understand how products will work together. 5. dávat přednost individuální interakci We have always encouraged our teams to work together, but the bossess at Wireless _______________________ with each team. 6. Za poslední a nejdůležitější _________________________, we didn´t think of trying to overcome our relationship problems by having some human contact.