Seven great companies: a way to success. Семь великих компаний: путь к успеху

Contents

Unit 1.                                                                                                                  4

Unit 2.                                                                                                                  9

Unit 3.                                                                                                                13

Unit 4.                                                                                                                18

Unit 5.                                                                                                                23

Unit 6.                                                                                                                28

Unit 7.                                                                                                                33

UNIT 1

PRESENTATION SKILLS: BILL GATES

Introduction

What do you know about Microsoft? How did it become so successful?

Do you understand the meaning of the following words you will come across in the text?

To drop out – hardware – default – strike a deal – vigorously – keynote presentation – seamless – acquisition

Read the text and answer the questions that follow

Bill Gates

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying the achievements of Bill Gates. Without him, you would not be using globally compatible software. He transformed himself from a Harvard University drop-out to the world’s richest man within 20 years, by identifying the enormous potential of this new area of computing. In the beginning Bill Gates famously said his vision was to “put a computer on every desk and in every home”.

Throughout the 80s, when IBM was concentrating on hardware, Microsoft grew at an incredible rate, supplying the software MS-DOS for the majority of PCs. Then came Windows, and by striking deals with manufacturers to pre-install the software on the hard drives of new computers, gates ensured that Microsoft operating systems became the default choice of the vast majority of computer users.

Since founding Microsoft in 1975 and up to 2006, Gates had primary responsibility for Microsoft’s product strategy. He aggressively broadened the company’s range of products, and wherever Microsoft achieved a dominant position, he vigorously defended it.

In his 2007 keynote presentation, he stated that his new vision was for the home to incorporate a single technological hub. A control station that would seamlessly enable all the digital media: the TV, computer, music, Internet to be accessed from one source, and Microsoft was leading the way.

And that is a major criticism of Microsoft. It has become a monopoly and completely dominated every market it enters through acquisition and aggressive business tactics.

Questions

1.  What has Bill Gates’ achievements made it possible for us to do?

2.  What was his vision at the beginning?

3.  What was IBM doing in the 80s?

4.  When was Bill Gates aggressive?

5.  What is Bill Gates’ new vision?

Functional vocabulary: classic presentation style

Introduction: What makes a great or a terrible presentation?

Preparation

Nothing will relax you more than knowing you are properly prepared. People who give good presentations understand that effective communication begins by considering the audience. From the beginning your audience will be asking themselves: What am I doing here? What’s in it for me?

It is vitally important that you answer these three questions immediately.

Surveys show that people decide in the first 7 seconds whether they are interested in what you are saying.

·  Know the audience – Who are you presenting to? What do they know