Contents

Unit 1 Business Philosophy …………………………………………………………………….	4
Unit 2 Company Structure ……………………………………………………………………...	12
Unit 3 Organization Forms and Company Presentation ………………………………………..	24
Unit 4 Key Management Skills …………………………………………………………………	38
Unit 5 Communication ………………………………………………………………………….	49
Unit 6 Success …………………………………………………………………………………..	61

UNIT 1 Business Philosophy

If you play your cards right … starting up

USEFUL TIPS A philosophy is a set of beliefs about the meaning of the universe and of human life. A business philosophy is a system of ideas about the meaning and the role of business.

What is business? What is business for? Express your ideas. Discuss the following statements in the group. Which do you agree with and which do you disagree with?

1. Business is to make profit for the company’s shareholders.

2. Business is for the benefit of all the company’s stakeholders.

3. Business is for the benefit of the whole community.

4. Business destroys communities.

5. Business brings out the worst in people.

6. Business destroys the natural environment.

7. Business is about risk.

8. Business is about challenge.

9. Business is fun.

10. Business is the best possible way to self-fulfilment.

11. Business makes the rich richer and the poor poorer.

12. Business must be regulated by the state.

13. You have to be ruthless to succeed in business.

3. What is your own philosophy of business?

4. Imagine that the word BUSINESS is an abbreviation. What does each letter stand for?

Listening

The Body Shop International is a highly successful franchise skincare retailer. It is against using animals in testing cosmetics, very active in community projects, and particularly well known for its involvement in environmental causes.

In pairs, discuss the statements made by Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop International. Do you agree with any of them? Why? Why not?

“A good business should be part of society, and you have to have pride in what you do. There’s no pride in making millions of pounds, but there is pride in helping people and the environment.”

“The idea now is global responsibility. Businesses are the true planetary citizens, they can push frontiers, they can change society.”

“In the next decade, environmentalism will be the most important issue for business.”

2. Listen to eight customers in a London Body Shop branch, note the reason(s) each customer gives for buying Body Shop products.

3. What do you think of Body Shop’s business philosophy?

Are consumers in your country concerned about the environmental policies of businesses?

Vocabulary

1. Match the words with their meanings

1. ideology	a). purpose or aim
2. core	b). something of value that a company owns
3. goal	c). the central, most important part
4. fad	d). a very important event
5. asset	e). to demand or need
6. milestone	f). a set of ideas which form the basis for a system
7. to call for	g). a fashion, interest that will probably not last long

2. Complete the sentences with the words from a. Change the form of a word if required.

1. The ……… purpose is expressed in a carefully formulated mission statement.

2. If a company changes its mission, different strategies should be ……. .

3. The visionary …….. are longer-term and more challenging than strategic or tactical objects.

4. The vision describes some …….. that the company will reach in the future.

5. The company’s values and purpose constitute its ……… which remains constant.

6. The company’s values may be viewed as its …….. .

7. The current industry environment and management ………. don’t influence core values.

3. Find the appropriate adjectives to describe a “call-to-action” mission statement.