3. Translate the text. Text 9

• Read the text and do the tasks that follow.

Procter & gamble

Procter & Gamble has been in the soap business since William Procter and James Gamble formed their partnership in 1837. In order to raise capital for expansion, the partners set up a corporate structure in 1890, with an appointed president at the helm of the company. It underwent further restructuring in 1955, with the creation of individual operating divisions to better manage their growing lines of products. John E. Pepper has led the company since 1995, when he was elected Procter & Gamble’s ninth Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The same year, the company moved from managing the business under two geographic areas, US and International, to four regions - North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe/Middle East/Africa.

Ivory soap, which has become a common household name, came onto the market in 1879. With the introduction and instant success of Tide laundry detergent in 1946, Procter & Gamble embarked on a strategy of rapid growth into new product lines as well as new markets around the world. The firm’s commitment to innovation in technology has helped Tide to remain their single largest brand over the years. Perhaps the product that has had the greatest impact, however, is Pampers, the disposable nappy which they launched in 1961.

As a result of their aggressive expansion policy, Procter & Gamble sales reached $10 billion in 1980. Since then the company has quadruple the number of consumers it can serve with its brands - to about five billion people around the world. In 1998 sales rose to $37.2 billion.

1. Answer the questions.

1. Who set up the company?

2. When were different divisions created?

3. How many main divisions does the company operate?

4. When did Ivory soap come onto the market?

5. Why does Tide remain the company’s single largest brand?

6. What is the second most popular product of the company?

2. What do the following numbers refer to? Make a sentence about each number.

1. 1837

2. $37.2 billion

3. 5,000,000

4. 1879

5. 1995

6. $10 billion

7. 1961

3. Translate the text. Text 10

• Read the text and do the tasks that follow.

Freeplay

Freeplay is a unique business venture which combines an unusual mixture of entrepreneurship, education, communication and concern for the environment. Although the company was set up in 1995, its origins go back to an invention that Trevor Bayliss thought of in 1994. Bayliss found out how to build a radio that works with just the kinetic energy stored from a special spring that you can turn by hand. It was the perfect solution for bringing information cheaply to the third world.

The inventor was soon contacted by Chris Steines who offered to manage the business side of things in order to develop the idea and make it into a commercial product. Bayliss thought over proposal and decided to accept it. Together with another co-founder, Rory Steer, they wrote a business plan and started to look for finance to launch the company. With initial funding from various sources, the original prototype was re-engineered and turned into a viable commercial product.

Since those days Freeplay has gone on to develop other self- powered products such as its flashlight and like any new business, Freeplay has had to face the realities of the marketplace. However, Freeplay may have failed to take advantage of some opportunities in markets in the West where its products are starting to become popular. This is because the company remains faithful to its top priority which is to make sure that its radios are first distributed to third world communities. Chris Steines likes to draw attention to the fact that his company is not in business just to make money, but to make a difference to people’s lives.