Transcript By : JUNI FITRI PASARIBU, S.Pd, M.Pd - ibmi

‘New Business’
By : JUNI FITRI PASARIBU, S.Pd, M.Pd
Starting Up
A. What conditions are important for people starting new business?
Choose the three mostimportant from this list. Can you think of any
other?
• Good transport links
• Low taxes
• Training courses
• Skilled staff
• High unemployment
• Low interest rates
• A strong currency
• Cheap rents
• Goverment grants
• Stable economy
B. Many economies contain a mix of public and private sector business.
Think of companies you know in the areas below. Which are public
sector companies and which are private sector companies?
• Post office
• Rail
• TV/newspaper
• Water
• Energy
• Telecoms
• Cars
• Airlines
C. Many companies in the UK have been privatised recently. What are the trends
in your country? Talk about the business sectors in Exersize B.
Vocabulary
Economic Terms
A. Match the economic terms 1 to 10 to their definitions a) to j)
1. interest rate
2. exchange rate
3. inflation rate
4. labour force
5. tax incentives
6. government bureuaucracy
7. GDP ( gross domestic product)
8. unemployment rate
9. foreign investment
10. balance of trade
a) Total value of goods and services
produced in a country
b) General increase in price
c) Cost of borrowing money
d) Price at which one currency can
buy another
e) Percentage of people without jobs
f) People working
g) Low taxes to encourage business
activity
h) Money from overseas
i) Official
rules/regulations/paperwork
j) Difference in value between a
country’s imports and exports
B.
Try to complete this economic profile without looking back at the term in
Exercise A.
The economiy is stable following the problems of the past two years. By
following a
tight monetary policy the goverment has reduced the inflation rate
1 to 2%. After going up dramatically the i............. r............ 2 is now down to 8%.
The last six months
has seen a slight improvement in the e................ r............ 3
against the dollar. The
G........... 4 has grown by 0.15%. Exports are increasing
and the b.............. of
t............... 5 is starting to look much healthier.
The u.............. r................ 6 continues to be problem as it is still 16%.
In order to stimulate the economi and attract f............... i............... 7 the
government
is offering new t............... i.................. 8 as well as making a renewed
effort to reduce g.............. b............. 9. Finally, a large skilled l............. f............... 10
means there could
be attractive investment opportunities over the next five
years.
Reading
Developing a new industry
A. The article on the page describes a major new industry which has
developing in Sicily. What do you think it is?
B.
Read the first two paragraphs of the article and answer these questions.
1. Which industry is the article about?
2. Who is Pasquale Pistorio?
3. How big is company?
C. Read the rest of the article and answer these questions.
1. Which other high-tech centre is compared to Etna Valley? How are these
places similar?
2. Who provided incentives to invest in Catania?
3. Why are high-tech companies keen to set up businesses in Catania?
D. Find words in the article with the meanings below.
1. change completely (paragraph 1)
transformed
2. trying hard to be more successful than others (paragraph 2)
3. the things you need to make something (paragraph 3)
4. things which are used to encourage people (paragraph 4)
5. factory (paragraph 5)
6. a company’s equipment, buildings and services (paragraph 6)
7. were better or greater than (paragraph 7)
E. Choose one area in your country. Explain why it would be good
location.
a) a high-tech start up company.
b) a start-up company of your choise.
Success in the shadow of Etna
By Paul Betts
.....................
The Sicilianport city of Catania, dominated by Mount Etna, Europ’s biggest active
volcano,
5
is being transformed into a Mediterranean Silicon Valley. And the ‘Etna Valley’, as it is
already being called, is
10 rapidly changing the old stereotype image of the island at the tip of Italy.
‘Catania has become the most competitive place in
15 Europe for high-tech investments. Argues Pasquale Pistorio, the Sicilian chairman of ST
Microelectronics. This Franco-Italian group
20
has rapidly grown to become Europe’s largest and the world’s number six, after the
likes of Intel, Toshiba, and Motorola, under Mr.
25 Patrio’s leadership.
A former Motorola senior executive, he invested in Catania because he
felt from the
start that the
30 Sicilian city had all the ingredients to develop into a competitive hihg-tech cantre. Like
California’s Silicon Valley, the city had
35 A good university working closely with a leding enterprise. In turn, this provided the
basis for stimulating new enterpreneur
40
ial, research and academic activity.
Althogh Italy’s deep south is not California, incentives provided by the
45 European Union, the Italian government and loca organisations, as well as Mr Pistorio’s
personal comitment, helped Catania
50 grow into a high-technology centre.
Mr Pistorio remember when he first joined the company 20 years ago. The
55 Catania plant was losing a lot of money. But the island also had a well-educated
population and offered high-tech companis what
60 Mr Pistorio calls ‘ample brain power recources’.
When there are few jobs, young peopletend to study more. Thanks partly
to its
65 high unemployment rate, the island had a large suply of intellectual labour. And Mr
Pistorio encouraged studying with ST
70 Microelectronics working with Catania University, running advanced courses in its
facilities
and employing many of the graduated.
75
Thanks to the high rate of unemployment and government and EU
incentives, Mr Pistorio quickly find that brain-npower cost sig
80 nificantly less in Sicily than elsewhere in Europe. The results have exceeded all
expectations.
From The Financial Times
FINANCIAL TIMES
World business Newspaper
Language review:
Time clauses
Times Clauses provide information about actions and events in the past, present
and future.
1. We often use when to introduce time clauses.
* Mr Pistorio remembers when he first joined the company .......... (past time)
* When there are few jobs, young people tend to study more. (present time)
* When I’m on the plane, I’ll read all the contracts. (future tense)
2. We can also use while, before, after, until and as soon as to introduce time
clauses.
* Many new high-tech companies started while the economy was growing.
* We need to arrangeour finance before we can develop the business.
* After we meet the candidates we’ll decide how many to employ.
* Until inflation is under control, planning will be difficult.
3. When we use atime clause to talk about the future, the verb in the time
clause is the present tense or the present perfect tense.
* As soon as they sign the contract, we’ll announce the deal.
* We’ll make the decision when we’ve finished the budget.
A. Match the sentence halves to make appropriate sentences.
1. We’ll have breakfast in the hotel
2. Please talk to your line manager
3. Until we have full employment,
4. We won’t hire new staff
5. While you’re waiting for the fax
6. We can set up in that country
7. While I’m with this company
8. Consumer spending reses
a) could you check these figur
b) when the conditions are rises
c) as soon as interest rates figur
d) until we get new business
e) before you sign the countras
f) our economy will not improve
g) before we go to the office
h) I want opportunities for training.
B. Complete these sentences with when, while, before, after,
until, or as soon as.
More than one answer may be possible in each case.
1. Don’t make a decision ................... We’ve seen the report.
2. I’m meeting with Atsuko this afternoon. Send her up ................ She arrives.
3. Let’s sort out this problem .................. She gets here.
4. I’m coming to Paris tomorrow afternoon. I’ll phone you .................. I arrive.
5. Can you type this report for me .................... I’m away?