Homeworkreview
I. Homework review
l Read this text from a business magazine.
A successful businesswoman
Laura Ashley’s multi-million pound success came about almost by accident when she was a young married woman, pregnant with her first child. She designed some scarves at home because she was bored. 0 H Ashley’s designs now decorate houses all round the world.
H. Those simple home-made items represented the beginning of a business empire which is now well known to millions.
She was born in Wales in 1925 but moved to London in 1949 when she got married, and at first she was content to take on the traditional housewife’s role. “The idea of having four babies, cooking, sewing and looking after the home suited me perfectly.” 9 What began as a hobby quickly became a successful business as she began to receive orders from a number of large London shops. It didn’t stop there: in the 1950s, when most of society was looking forward to the space age, Laura Ashley made a fortune by looking back to past centuries, searching out old designs to decorate a variety of clothes and household furnishings. 10 Soon they were being shipped abroad in large quantities and she began to sell them from her own shop.
C. All that changed when she became interested in printing fabrics.
G. These traditional products created a huge wave of demand from the USA and elsewhere.
In 1961 she moved her business to her native region of Wales, where the operation grew to dominate the town of Carno. 11 A second one was establishing some years later in The Netherlands.
F. When its railway station closed, Ashley converted it into a factory.
Throughout her life and despite the multinational success of her business, Ashley remained a traditional housewife at heart. 12 She saw the workplace as a kind of home, and her employees enjoyed unusually good working conditions; for example, there were no night shifts and the working week ended at midday on Friday. Even as the company grew, employees still had a say in how it was run. As she said, “our success is due to people. It is our employees who come first.” 13 They, of course, have profited from that – as have many others with a stake in the company. The business is now large and successful, with a sophisticated management team. To this day, though, the products remain traditional and all the shops are still decorated like 19th century houses.
A. Her company reflected the traditional values she admired.
D.When the company was floated on the stock market, many of them opted to become shareholders.
By 1995, the year she died, the business had grown so much that she had decide to remain involved only in the area of design. 14 She had never set out to become a businesswoman, but last year the company she started as a hobby reported a turnover of ￡332 million, with a pre-tax profit of ￡3.8 million. That’s not bad for a business that started a t a kitchen table!
B. The creative side of things was what she had always enjoyed most.
C G F A D B
VocabularyStudy
II. Vocabulary Study
English vocabulary which originates from French
elite noun [countable]
a group of people who have a lot of power and influence because they have money, knowledge, or special skills
political/social/economic etc elite
the domination of power by a small political elite
a struggle for power within the ruling elite
elite adjective
an elite group contains the best, most skilled or most experienced people or members of a larger group
an elite group of artists elite universities
debut verb
1 [intransitive] to appear in public or become available for the first time
The show will debut next Monday at 8.00pm.
2 [transitive]to introduce a product to the public for the first time
ￚsynonym launch
Ralph Lauren debuted his autumn collection in Paris last week.
resume noun[countable]
résumé
1 a short account of something such as an article or speech which gives the main points but no details
ￚsynonym summarya brief résumé of the day’s events
2 American English a short written account of your education and your previous jobs that you send to an employer when you are looking for a new job
British Equivalent: CV
clientele noun [singular]
all the people who regularly use a shop, restaurant etc
The restaurant attracts a young clientele.
bon voyage interjection
used to wish someone a good journey
café noun [countable]
1 a small restaurant where you can buy drinks and simple meals
2 a public place that is connected to a computer network, where people with similar interests discuss things by sending and receiving messages
an Internet café
Whatarebusinessethics?
III. What are business ethics?
1. Speaking.
ethic noun
1 [countable] a general idea or belief that influences people’s behaviour and attitudes 伦理标准，道德标准(或体系)
The old ethic of hard work has given way to a new ethic of instant gratification. 过去辛勤劳动的道德标准让位给了新的道德体系，即迅速的满足。
2 ethics [plural] moral rules or principles of behaviour for deciding what is right and wrong 道德观，道德准则，(某种职业、群体等的)规矩
a report on the ethics of gene therapy 有关基因治疗道德准则的报告
professional/business/medical ethics (=the moral rules relating to a particular profession) 职业/商业/医疗道德准则
public concern about medical ethics 公众对于医疗道德的担忧
Televised news is based on a code of ethics. 电视播放的新闻是基于一定的道德规范。
work ethic noun [singular] a belief in the moral value and importance of work职业道德
They instilled the work ethic into their children. 他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
conduct: BEHAVE
conduct yourself: formal to behave in a particular way, especially in a situation where people judge you
He was a player who always conducted himself impeccably(完美无瑕地), both on and off the field.
integrity noun [uncountable]
1 the quality of being honest and strong about what you believe to be right正直，廉正;诚实，诚恳
personal/professional/political etc integrity
a man of great moral integrity
2 formal the state of being united as one complete thing完整，完全
the territorial integrity of the country
2. Reading.
give weight to
weight n. IMPORTANCE
[uncountable] if something has weight, it is important and influences people
She knew that her opinion carried very little weight.
---give/add weight to something 重视
This scandal adds more weight to their arguments.
Philanthropy n. the practice of giving money and help to people who are poor or in trouble 慈善，仁慈，慈善事业，慈善性捐款
whistle-blower noun [countable]
someone who tells people in authority or the public about dishonest or illegal practices at the place where they work (针对工作岗位上的违法或不诚实行为)揭发、检举人
ￚwhistle-blowing noun [uncountable]
3.
(1) F ---It was initially sent to 1,000 CEOs but the sample was then extended to include a further 225 executives in the public sector.
(2) F --- Corporate philanthropy was given the least weight when describing ethical organizations.
(3) T ---38% of organizations protect whistle-blowers.
(4) F --- Security of information was the issue with which respondents were least satisfied.
4. Language.Report layout
Use of bullet points and visuals, not dense text
Formal vocabulary
selected, in terms of, in response to, expressed, further, the following points summarize our key findings, legal compliance, employment practices, corporate philanthropy, participating organizations, ethical or illegal violations, to indicate, level of management attention, of greatest concern, issue, respondents
Ellipsis
…1,000 Canadian companies, which were selected…
In response to an increasing level of interest which was expressed…,
…an increase on the 22% which was reported …,
…to indicate the level of management attention each issue received…,
of these issues, the two issues which were most frequently identified …
Particples
Selected on the basis of size, an increasing level of interest expressed, when executives responding to our survey, written statements, participating organizations, an increase on the 22% reported, the two most frequently identified.
