Business English / Деловой английский язык |
Assessing company performance
SITUATION
Intrigue is brewing in the boardroom at Standard Can, and the future of J.F. Hiltmann and Stephen Sablon continues to hang in the balance. Will Jerome Fantam allow a management buy-out that could save them all?
CHARACTERS
| Jerome Fantam | |
| Leo Schooler | |
| Patricia Hart | |
| Anton Hiltmann | |
| Stephen Sablon | |
| Commentator | on the radio. He is British. |
LANGUAGE
| Vocabulary | Business journalism; food processing; doubt and suspicion; the end of a company's life. |
| Skills | Discussing sales figures; congratulating someone; expressing criticism and disappointment. |
| Structures | Analysing a long sentence; the next, the last. |
| Documents | A press release; a magazine article; notes for a letter. |
Assessing the prospects
24.1 Document study
This is one of the press releases for the new Maxy product range. Read through it carefully. Has Maxy gone up market or down market? How do you know?
MAXY TO LAUNCH NEW 'COOK'S TOUCH' RANGE OF COOK-IN SAUCES
For more than a century, J.F. Hiltmann und Söhne AG of Dusseldorf has enjoyed a Europe-wide reputation for the excellence of its MAXY seasoning. Acquired last year by US giant Standard Can, Hiltmann is about to stage an exciting presentation of a whole new product range: MAXY 'COOK'S-TOUCH' bottled sauces and flavourings, bringing convenience food at last to the level of haute cuisine.
Sixteen test products were used, in various strengths, to cook a number of popular dishes. A panel of tasters tried each dish at lunches in Standard Can's offices in Athens, Rome, Paris, Berlin and Madrid. They were also given cook-chill packs of the food to try at home with their families.
The results leave no doubt that the six most popular flavours across the board were:
- Goulash
- Bouillabaisse
- Chicken Kiev
- Saltimbocca
- Chili con Carne
- Irish Stew
24.2 Reading for key words
Find the words or phrases in 24.1 that tell you the following:
| 1 | To make public. |
| 2 | Food which can be prepared and cooked in a few minutes. |
| 3 | A group of people who were asked to try the food and say what they thought of it. |
| 4 | Boxes of refrigerated, cooked food. |
| 5 | In each area or department. |
24.3 Listen and read
Leo, Patricia and Jerome Fantam are meeting in New York. Listen to what they say. Why is Patricia surprised and suspicious?
| JEROME | Leo, Patricia - could I have a word with you before you go? What do you make of this story from Geneva? |
| LEO | From Geneva? |
| JEROME | About food additives. Somebody's leaked a government analyst's report. |
| PATRICIA | You'll have to fill us in on the details. |
| JEROME | I don't know any details. It seems there are reports of a new link between certain anti-oxidants and cancer. I wondered if you'd heard anything. No? Well, thank you both for being here today - I'll see you in Dallas in September. You take care, now. ...... |
| PATRICIA | What do you make of that? |
| LEO | It's not like him to ask about rumours. He generally starts them. Likes to keep the opposition guessing. |
| PATRICIA | Mm. Precisely! |
24.4 Speaking practice: starting a rumour
Listen to this conversation. Then listen again, and speak the part of the man.
| WOMAN | Did you read that analyst's report that I sent you last week? |
| MAN | Er - oh yes, I remember. Could you just remind me of the details? |
| WOMAN | Well, briefly, it said that our claim that the product contained certain vitamins was unjustified. |
| MAN | That's strange. Who was this analyst working for? |
| WOMAN | We don't know. Apparently, the report was leaked. I wondered if you'd heard any more about it. |
| MAN | No. But I find it very hard to believe. They've always been very strict about these things in Germany. |
| WOMAN | Well, the boss seems very keen to tell everyone about it. Now why should he do that? |
| MAN | It's not like him to spread a rumour, especially if it hasn't been confirmed. |
| WOMAN | No, but he's quite capable of starting one if it suits him! |
24.5 Listen and read
Anton Hiltmann is having a telephone conversation with Stephen Sablon. Listen to what they say. Which area had the lowest sales? Why is this surprising?
| ANTON | Stephen? I've got the print-out here for the first month's sales figures for the new Maxy range. Hot off the computer. |
| STEPHEN | Uh-huh. How do they look? |
| ANTON | Well, you'll be able to access the data direct within the next half hour, but, briefly, total turnover was nineteen million dollars, equal to the best month we ever had with the old Maxy. In Germany alone we shipped one point three million dollars' worth of stock, and the lowest sales were point three six of a million in, guess where, Greece! |
| STEPHEN | Fantastic. Well done, Anton - I really do congratulate you. |
| ANTON | I've got Patricia here, by the way - says she'd like a word. |
| STEPHEN | Oh, great. Put her on. |
| PATRICIA | Stephen? Just glancing through these print-outs, I'm a bit worried about France - new Maxy is under-achieving in the northern and western regions. |
| STEPHEN | Yes. I understand there was a hitch with the TV commercials for that area. Just a hiccup, it's all sorted out now. Oh, but since you're there - do you know anything about this leaked analyst's report? |
| PATRICIA | No. Should I? What is it? |
| STEPHEN | Something about anti-oxidants. Jerome Fantam was saying something about them yesterday. Does Hiltmann use anti-oxidants? |
| PATRICIA | Er - I think I'd better hand you back to Anton. |
24.6 Writing practice: Stephen Sablon’s notes
Stephen keeps notes on the progress of Maxy. Write his notes for him after his conversation with Anton and Patricia.
Assessing the damage
24.7 Document study
This is the article that appeared in a popular consumer magazine on the food industry. Read through it carefully. Why would Anton Hiltmann be concerned about the article? What effect would the article have on consumers?
MANUFACTURES and DISTRIBUTORS
Confidential reports originating from government laboratories in three European countries suggest that certain synthetic food additives may not be as harmless as was hitherto supposed , even in the low concentrations permitted by EC regulations.
Foremost among the alleged offenders is BHX, a compound used in many cooked foods and branded food flavourings such as the popular 'Maxy' sauce. BHX has long been suspected of causing hyperactivity in children.
Now there is evidence linking it to certain types of cancer - even though it is thought to give protection against other types. It is known to raise blood cholesterol levels and in some circumstances to destroy vitamins that the body needs.
BHX is an anti-oxidant: it inhibits oils and fats from becoming rancid and toxic. Because it is heat-resistant and can withstand cooking, it is hard for the food processing industry to find an adequate substitute at an acceptable price.
The President of the European Food Marketing Federation, which represents manufacturers throughout the EC, said last night:
'Much more thorough testing is required before we can say there is any scientific basis for banning BHX and similar compounds.'
24.8 Reading for key words
Find the words or phrases in 24.7 that tell you the following:
| 1 | Very small amounts. |
| 2 | The things which are said to cause the trouble (though it has not yet been proved). |
| 3 | It is not damaged by being heated or cooked. |
| 4 | Something else that will do the job just as well. |
| 5 | A price that the manufacturers are willing to pay. |
24.9 Structure practice: analysing a long sentence
The first paragraph of the magazine article in 24.7 is a long, complex sentence. It contains several separate ideas and pieces of information. Rewrite it as a series of short, simple sentences that will communicate the same ideas and information.
24.10 Listen and read
Anton Hiltmann telephones the editor of the magazine. Why does he also become angry with Stephen?
| ANTON | This is outrageous. Why is Maxy the only brand name mentioned in your article? Countless other brands use BHX. And the least you could have done is spoken to me about it first. I intend to consult my company's lawyers this morning, and you may expect to hear from them very shortly. Goodbye! |
| PATRICIA | I'm afraid the damage has been done, Anton. |
| ANTON | Of course. Even if the magazine prints a retraction , no one ever reads it - let alone believes it. |
| STEPHEN | Well, at least Maxy was the first brand name the journalist thought of - and he obviously knew his readers would recognise it. |
| ANTON | You think so? I think this is deliberate sabotage. |
| STEPHEN | You're being paranoid, Anton. However - speaking as a Standard Can director - I owe it to my colleagues on the board to ask what you intend to do to restore public confidence in your product. |
| ANTON | Speaking as a - Stephen, don't you get tired jumping over that fence all the time! You offered to resign rather than see Hiltmann go to the wall. You were appointed Food Products Vice-President - Maxy is your baby just as much as it is ours. |
| PATRICIA | Wait a minute! I'm just remembering a conversation Leo Schooler and I had with Jerome Fantam when we saw him in New York in July. Is it possible he'd deliberately start a rumour to wreck one of his own subsidiaries? |
| STEPHEN | He might. |
| ANTON | There, sabotage, you see. Who's being paranoid now? |
24.11 Writing practice: a letter to the press
Anton Hiltmann decides to write a letter to the magazine that published the article about BHX and Maxy. The letter is polite but very firm. Write this letter for him. Use the notes below to help you.
Assessing your chances
24.12 Listen and read
This is a radio report on the financial troubles at Standard Can. Listen to it carefully. What does the commentator think will happen to Hiltmann?
COMMENTATOR
Next on Financial World Tonight, company news: and disappointing interim results for multinational giant Standard Can gave strength to rumours that the US holding company may be having second thoughts about its most recent acquisition, ailing German food manufacturer J.F. Hiltmann. StanCan bought up Hiltmann last year, and there was a vigorous management shake-out that left former sales director Anton Hiltmann as the only surviving member of the Hiltmann family in an executive position. But in the last six months nothing has gone right, and a scare over dangerous synthetic chemicals in the product may turn out to be the last straw. Hiltmanns could go into receivership in the next few weeks , unless current moves to stage a management buy-out can succeed.
24.13 Reading for key words
Find the words or phrases in 24.12 that tell you the following:
| 1 | Half-year trading figures that were less good than expected. |
| 2 | About to reverse a previous decision. |
| 3 | The last company that was taken over. |
| 4 | Getting rid or a large number of the company's managers. |
| 5 | Things that are being done at the moment. |
| 6 | A takeover of the company by its own managers, who buy all (or a majority of) the shares. |
24.14 Listen and read
Anton and Leo are trying to find a solution to Hiltmann's problems. Listen to what they say. Is Leo optimistic or pessimistic? What about Anton? How do you know?
| ANTON | But as I was saying, Leo, the era of junk bonds and leveraged buy-outs is past. The banks have turned us down flat. Stephen keeps talking about 'mezzanine finance', whatever that is. |
| LEO | I am confident in the end you'll succeed in negotiating very reasonable terms with Jerome Fantam. The idea of management plus workers buying out the company together makes extremely good sense. |
| ANTON | Yes, of course. But if we can't raise the money within the next few days, our workforce are going to get cold feet , and if Fantam thinks they may back out then he's liable to wind up Hiltmann and sell Maxy to the highest bidder. |
24.15 Listen and read
Leo is reporting back to Jerome Fantam about what he thinks is happening in Germany. Listen to what they say. Will Standard Can make or lose money if it sells Hiltmann now?
| LEO | I think the people at Hiltmann are moving towards the idea of a buy-out - management and workers together. How would we react to that? |
| JEROME | Yeah, I guess Standard Can might agree to a demerger. We didn't actually pay a great deal to buy Hiltmann, but their marketing adventures over the past twelve months have cost us a small fortune. |
| LEO | They seem very confident they can make it work. |
| JEROME | Well, I know they think they can make a go of it , but what about all that investment we put in? Are we supposed to write that off as a bad debt? |
| LEO | Stephen Sablon appears to be quite willing for that to happen. He hasn't said anything about Hiltmann giving Standard Can any kind of compensation. |
| JEROME | Tell Stephen I am very disappointed in him. I expected something more from him. |
24.16 Structure practice: the next, the last
When we use 'next' and 'last' with a plural noun, we also need to use a number, or a word like 'few'. Anton says 'you'll be able to access the data direct within the next half hour', but the radio commentator says 'Hiltmanns could go into receivership in the next few weeks' and 'in the last six months nothing has gone right'.
Write answers to the questions below, using 'next' or 'last':
| 1 | When will that letter be ready? [ten minutes] |
| 2 | Has anyone been in here recently? [twenty minutes] |
| 3 | Jerome Fantam is sixty. When's he going to retire? [ten years] |
| 4 | And when will Stephen Sablon be leaving the corporation? [a few minutes] |
| 5 | Someone told me Standard Can has taken over thirty companies. [fifteen years] |
| 6 | Do they sell off the assets every time? [a few times] |
| 7 | So Standard Can itself could be in serious trouble? [a year or two] |
| 8 | The Standard Can story seems to have been going on for ages. [three lessons] |
24.17 Listen and read
Stephen is talking to a meeting of the European directors. Listen to what is said. Are the other directors as confident as Stephen that his new plan will work?
| STEPHEN | OK, quiet everyone, this is my proposal - we repackage the whole Maxy range in cubes in airtight foil wrappers, each cube individually wrapped. That gets rid of the anti-oxidant, we don't need it any more. It also gets rid of bottles and glass jars, which are perceived as environmentally unfriendly and which are fragile and heavy and generally bad news. Then a big advertising campaign to rebuild our image as green, wholefood, nature freaks. |
| PATRICIA | Oh Stephen, you know as well as any of us that means at least another year's R&D and maybe twenty million dollars' advertising... |
24.18 Writing practice: Stephen Sablon’s notes
Once again, Sablon is writing his notes, trying to work out what courses of action are open to him at this moment. Write the notes for him, using whatever information you have from this lesson. What options does he really have?