【Native Speaker每日综合训练—34系列】【34-07】经管

AceJ

tay tuned to our latest post! Follow us here ---> http://weibo.com/u/3476904471

我们始终坚信，每一次阅读，都应是一次美妙的旅程
而工作组的使命就是带领大家领略阅读中的极致美景

Part I: Speaker

Competing in Business

Yoko:  We used to be the  only game in town. Now  we have three  competitors and they  are luring away our  customers.

Cedric:  I know.  We need to  do something before we  go under.  What  about  price matching?

Yoko:  Our prices are already  competitive.  If we  want to focus on price, we’ll  need to undercut our  competitors.

Cedric:  Slashing  prices would be really  hard on our profit  margin, but  these are desperate  times.  What do you think  of a two-for-one deal?   We could offer it for a  limited time.

Yoko:  We can do that if  lowering our prices doesn’t  work.  I’m thinking we could go  in  another direction.  What do  you think about offering  freebies or gifts  with  purchase?

Cedric:  I think that’s a good  idea.  The more frills we include the better our  services look.  What kind of  frills?

Yoko:  I’m not sure, but the  more bells and  whistles the better.   

Cedric:  And if all of this  doesn’t work?

Yoko:  Then we’ll be up  the creek without a  paddle!


Source: ESLPOD
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=14914702

[Rephrase 1, 16:20]

AceJ

Part II: Speed

A culture of fear

By Peter Vajda | 24 Mar 2014

[Time2]
Every day in workplaces ¬large and small - from Fortune 50 corporations to high-tech start-ups, 'mom and pop' ventures or not-for-profits, people are living in fear. It might be fear of losing their jobs, fear of being judged and criticized, fear of being disliked, fear of being embarrassed, fear of being ostracized, fear of making mistakes, fear of being the target of gossip or fear of facing uncomfortable challenges or problems.

The same workplaces are also home to individuals happy to indulge in inappropriate behaviour, deceit, fraud, harassment, gossiping, lying, cheating and stealing.

Yet at the same time, many organizations exhort their employees to abide by organizational values such as honesty, integrity, trust and openness.

The 'dirty little secret' (maybe not so little) is many of our workplaces are challenged when it comes to looking into the honesty mirror. It's not so much that inappropriate behaviour exists, it's that so many people – especially those in positions of authority or influence – choose to turn a blind eye to them. Why? Because they are afraid, too. They live life at work in a culture of fear.

The problem
Most of us have learned to keep our fear to ourselves. We are reluctant to speak out, reluctant to be the bearer or bad news or to admit that we screwed up and made a mistake. We don't want to ask a colleague to change their behaviour, let alone point out cheating, fraud or deceit, expose failed processes or to admit to defective products. Fear resounds, but often very quietly.

Fear leads to denial, defensiveness and delusion. People suppress their fears, deluding themselves that they're living in a world where all appears is well and nothing is amiss. a But it's a fantasy world.
[290 words]

[Time 3]
The solution
The solution to fear begins with appreciation. That means admitting our fears and owning them. It means exploring the self-imposed silence that keeps us from speaking out ¬and causes the low-grade anxiety and agitation we feel when we keep our fears hidden and suppressed.

We're all familiar with the silence of fear. It's always there, lurking just below the surface. In team meetings, in one-on-one meetings, when engaging with clients and customers, even in social situations, ¬ all the while we are in conversation and dialogue ¬ we know and sense the silence of fear.

We feel the tension in our shoulders and the queasiness in our stomachs. We feel the constriction in our throats and the tightness in our chest. We feel quiet, passive, withdrawn and deferential. We don't make eye contact. We are silently angry. We feel embarrassed, cowardly, passive and reluctant. We're there, but we're not. We hold a large part of our selves back.

The good news is that these feelings means that we are experiencing our fear – the first step towards addressing it. It's helpful to notice where we are at any given moment on the continuum between fear and hope - hope that our life at work can be different. It's helpful and healing to experience an awareness of the internal conflict between being open, honest and authentic and being shut down and constricted just so that we can survive and collect our pay check.

This awareness is the first step on the road towards change. But once we notice our fears, then what?
[262 words]

[Time 4]
Showing up
The opposite of being fearful is being courageous. But being courageous is not about "not having fear". Being courageous is about showing up - authentically, in integrity - in spite of our fear. It means being our best for our own sake and the sake of our organization, team, or unit.

Fear has no purpose. There is no "upside" to being afraid. From a place of authenticity and integrity we can acknowledge there's no sense in being fearful. Being authentic means that we can live in spite of fear and that by acknowledging we are afraid, we can be present to our experience. Only then can we generate the energy of courage, will and strength to "show up".

When we try to bury our feelings, we bury them alive. But when we admit our fear, the shackles of fear are loosened. We become free when we openly speak out about our fears, and allow others to speak about theirs. The truth does set you free.

When we hear others talk about their fears of being fired, or reprimanded or denigrated for saying or doing something, we need to compassionately listen to them and create a container of safety to support their disclosing. Critical to shedding our fears and acting courageously is admitting to the discomfort that fear causes us - having it, but not being it.

Self-awareness about "who we are" and "how we are" in the workplace helps to create a culture that is not fear-based. Being open to feedback and constructive criticism (from all those with whom we work – above us, below us, next to us), listening empathically, cooperating with colleagues, respecting others' privacy and individuality, discussing difficult issues from a heart-felt place, and acknowledging that others, too, are steeped in fear in their day-to-day life at work are the ways that we can create a safe, open and honest workplace environment.

Each one of us deserves to be free from fear at work. Being free from fear at work starts with you.
[337 words]

Source: Management issues.com
http://www.management-issues.com/opinion/6882/a-culture-of-fear/


The Two Words Steve Jobs Hated Most

BY KYLE RUSSELL | March 20, 2014  

[Time 5]
It's not often that we get to hear new first-hand accounts of what it was like to work at Steve Jobs' Apple.

When we do get a new chance, there's always some new reveal about how he shaped the company's culture.

Take, for instance, this new interview with former Apple VP of Worldwide Marketing Communication Allison Johnson.

From 2005 to 2011, Johnson was one of the few people at Apple to have a direct line of communication with Jobs himself.

According to Johnson, the two most "dreaded, hated" words at Apple under Steve Jobs were "branding" and "marketing."

"In Steve's mind," she recalls, "people associated brands with television advertising and commercials and artificial things. The most important thing was people's relationship to the product. So any time we said 'brand' it was a dirty word."

On the subject of marketing, Johnson says that "marketing is when you have to sell to somebody. If you aren't providing value, if you're not educating them about the product, if you're not helping them get the most out of the product, you're selling. And you shouldn't be in that mode."

Wait a second. Isn't marketing what Apple does best? How can the head of worldwide marketing at Apple claim that marketing was dirty word in the company?

Responding to a similar question from her interviewer, Behance CEO Scott Belskey, Johnson explains that Apple treated its launch campaigns as massive efforts to educate the public about the company's new products by effectively communicating what made the experience using them so great:

What was important about that is the marketing team was right next to the product development and engineering teams. So we understood deeply what was important about the product, what the team’s motivations were in the product, what they hoped that product would achieve, what role they wanted it to have in people’s lives. And because we were that close, we were able to translate that very clearly in all of our marketing and communications.
[331 words]

Source: Entrepreneur
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232343


How This Innovative Startup Convinced Investors to Give It $30 Million

By JAY YAROW | March 26, 2014  

[Time 6]
Hampton Creek, a startup that's creating plant-based alternatives to eggs, announced $23 million in funding last month.
That brings the total funding to $30 million from investors. Asia's richest man, Li-Ka Shing, is an investor. As is the world's richest man, Bill Gates. It also has investment from Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, Khosla Ventures, and the Founders Fund.

The man behind the company is 34-year-old Josh Tetrick. This is his first big company.

Prior to founding Hampton Creek, he was working for the U.N. in sub-Saharan Africa. He says he felt frustrated by his work because it was slow moving, and at times corrupt.

He was talking about his work with his best friend one day. His friend could hear his frustration. Together, they started talking about what Tetrick could do instead. Eventually, they ended up talking about the egg industry. From there, they landed on the idea of using plants to replace eggs.

Tetrick started reaching out to friends and friends of friends. Eventually he hooked up with some chefs to make a proof of concept. From there, he raised a seed round of funding. Then, he started hiring biochemists and food scientists. In a year and a half he had figured out how to make mayo and cookie dough that didn't need eggs.

When he went to raise $23 million last year, he used the following pitch deck. We got him on the phone to explain the deck, and run through the pitch that landed him millions.

[249 words]

Source: Entrepreneur
http://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/232530

AceJ

Part III: Obstacle

The true meaning of San Yao Wu
China’s new consumer law has local and foreign firms worried
Mar 15, 2014

[Paraphrase 7]
FIFTY-TWO years ago this week, John Kennedy gave a speech to Congress in which he argued that consumers “are the only important group in the economy who are not effectively organised, whose views are often not heard.” His eloquent plea for their protection led to the United Nations guidelines for consumer protection and to the annual celebration of World Consumer-Rights Day on March 15th.

Nowhere is that day marked with more gusto than in China, where it is known as san yao wu (three one five). Every year on that date, the national broadcaster airs a much-watched programme lauding consumer rights. It is also used as an excuse to bash successful foreign firms—Apple was last year’s main target—for small or imagined transgressions.

This year China will better honour Kennedy’s legacy. The television gala is still due to be broadcast this weekend, and corporate evildoers—internet firms are rumoured to be in the crosshairs this time—will probably be shamed again. But something more important will also happen. On March 15th a new consumer law, the biggest reform in this area in 20 years, comes into force. At face value, it appears to give a big boost to consumer protection. Retailers must take back goods within seven days; in the case of online purchases, consumers do not even have to offer a reason. Consumer data will be protected from misuse, and permission will have to be sought for any commercial use of them. Class-action lawsuits, hitherto rare in China, will become easier to file.

The motivations for the law seem sincere. The government is keen to shift the economy towards consumption-driven growth. Regulations protecting consumers should help, by bolstering their trust in merchants. Max Xin Gu of K&L Gates, a legal firm, also believes the law “is timed to come hand-in-hand with the anti-corruption campaign” launched by President Xi Jinping: both are meant to allow ordinary people to benefit from the rule of law.

James Feldkamp is the founder of Mingjian, a pioneering Chinese website offering independent product reviews (akin to America’s Consumer Reports or Britain’s Which?). He agrees that trust and transparency are key to boosting consumption. However, he worries about how the law will be implemented and enforced. Indeed it may leave consumers ill-protected even as it saddles firms with extra costs and complexity. For example, although parts of the law resemble the EU’s strict rules on data privacy, it has important gaps. Michael Tan of Taylor Wessing, another law firm, notes that it does not grant a “right to be forgotten” (by having firms expunge all record of a former customer). It leaves businesses in the dark on how exactly they can use customer data, and fails to impose on them a duty to ensure their accuracy.

Opening the door to class-action lawsuits may also prove a damp squib. In America aggrieved consumers can club together and go to court themselves. In China, points out Mr Tan, only government-controlled consumer associations will be allowed to launch such suits: “no ambulance-chasers here.” It is hard to imagine consumers persuading these official bodies to bring suits against state firms.

Consumer businesses fear that besides falling short in protecting punters, the law will tie them up in red tape. Publicly, local firms such as Alibaba, an e-commerce giant, say they are ready. Privately, many are worried. An executive at another big Chinese firm grumbles that “it’s a boatload of work and internal co-ordination to hit compliance.” Worse, the bureaucracy and the risk of prosecution may deter entrepreneurs from starting firms to compete with established ones; if so, the result will end up being bad for consumers.

China is catching up with the European Union’s exacting standards of consumer rights in much the same way as it has begun imposing EU-style curbs on cars’ emissions. In both cases, pressure from ordinary Chinese prompted the government to tighten standards. Besides benefiting the public, the pollution measures give an edge to firms with the most advanced technology, which in this case happen to be foreign multinationals.

As for the consumer law, Western firms, used to operating within strict consumer-rights regimes back home, ought to cope better with it than domestic ones. But the opposite may happen. Although on paper the law does not discriminate between Chinese and non-Chinese businesses, a local lawyer worries about “sporadic and discretionary enforcement”, in the same way that China’s antitrust laws have been applied strictly to foreign firms whereas local ones have usually been spared.

When faced with angry customers, domestic firms often have flexible rules, and can act fast to defuse crises—even if it means quietly paying off undeserving complainants. They also “know people who scare people,” says an expert on the local business scene, which obviously helps silence troublemakers. Multinationals, in contrast, tend to be bound by rules laid down in a distant head office (which would certainly preclude sending in heavies). By the time they have reacted to problems, unhappy customers may have taken to their weibo microblogs or the news media to stir up trouble. Most foreign firms, concludes Scott Thiel, a lawyer at DLA Piper, “are just not ready for this law.”
[861 words]

Source: Economists
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21599006-chinas-new-consumer-law-has-local-and-foreign-firms-worried-true-meaning-san-yao-wu

xiaofan0205

难得今天能抢到沙发了

Speaker:
the only game in town: the only company involves in this situation
competitors: someone who competes with you
luring away: to attract someone from another person or business
go under: to go out of business, to go broke
price matching: lower their price to their competitor's
competitive: they have the some or similar prices as other companies
to undercut: to lower the prices
slashing prices: to cut or lower or reduce prices
profit margin: the amount of money that you make in your business
desperate times: difficult time, a situation where things go bad
two-for-one deal: purchase two of something for the normal price of one
for a limited time: only temporary
freebies: something you get for free
gifts with purchase: when you buy something, you can get something extra
frills: something additional that nice to have but not necessary
bells and whistles: additional item that makes people more interesting, but not necessary
up the creek without a paddle: to be in a very difficult situation

Time2: 1'58"
Time3: 1'49"
Time4: 2'16"
People are living in fear everyday in workplace, but most of us have learned to keep our fear to ourselves, which leads to denial, defensiveness and delusion.
The solution to fear begins with admitting our fears and exploring the self-imposed silence that keeps us from speak out. Once we notice our fears, then we need to show up. Self-awareness about who we are and how we are in the workplace helps to create a culture that is not fear-based.

Time5: 2'13"
The two words Steve Jobs hated most were branding and marketing, because he thought people associated brands with television advertising and commercials and artificial things, the most important thing was people's relationship to the product, and marketing is when you have to sell to somebody instead of providing values.

Time6: 2'06"
A startup that's creating plant-based alternatives to eggs, which brings the total funding to $30 million from investors. In a year and a half he had figured out how to make mayo and cookie dough that didn't need eggs.

MAGGIEHE1993

地板~~~~~~~~~  谢谢楼主~~~~~~~~~
-------------------------------------
Speaker: Competing in business
         the only game: the only person or organization involved; not to have any competition
         competitor: someone compete with you; be better than someone else
         lure away: to attract away from another person or business
         go under: go out of business
         competitive: similar qualities or prices as others
         undercut: sell something st a lower price
         slash price: lower or reduce or cut price
         profit: difference between money you take in and you spent
         slash price will result in lower profit margin
         desperate time: things going bad quickly; difficult/challenging times
         two-for-one: two of something at a normal price for one
         for a limited time: only temporarily
         go in another direction
         freebie: something get for free; eg. samples
         gift with purchase: get something extra
         frill: something additional that are nice to have but are not necessary to have; extra things
         bells and whistles: additional items; to make something better but are not necessary to have; additional features
         up the creek without a paddle: to be in a very difficult situation

time2: 1min 56"
       People are living in fear. The author listed a lot of fears that people face everyday in workplace. The author
       thinks the reason for the fears is that people are reluctant to be the bearer or bad news or to admit that they
       screwed up and made a mistake.

time3: 1min 51"
       The author thinks the first step to solve our anxiety is to admit fears and own them.

time4: 2min 19"
       The author thinks that if we admit our fears, we will have courage to conquer them and set ourselves free.

time5: 2min 39"
       The passage talked about the two words that Steve Jobs hated most in Apple: branding and marketing.

time6: 1min 30"
       Hampton Creek got a total of $30 million for his startup that is creating plant-based alternatives to eggs.
       The passages described how he developed the idea of replace eggs with plants.

Obstacle: 6min 03"
       A brief history of the annual celebration of World Consumer-Rights Day on March 15th. Every year the day is celebrated
       with more gusto in China. On March 15th a new consumer law, the biggest reform in this area in 20 years comes into force.
       The new law is stricter on sellers and provides more protection for consumers. The motivation for the law is that the
       government is keen to shift the economy towards consumption-driven growth. But James Feldkamp worried about how the law will
       be implemented and enforced. Opening the door to class-action lawsuits may also prove a damp squib. Many firms are worried
       about the enforcement of the new law. The bureaucracy and the risk of prosecution may deter entreperneurs from starting firms
       to compete with established ones. The new law also has a problem that it may treat Chinese and non-Chinese businesses differently.

疏离无罪

地板~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaker: Today's dialogue is about several methods to compete with competitiors.

01:39
People live in fear in their workplaces.And most people keep their fear to themselves.They do not share or show their fear.

01:22
The awareness of fear is the first step to sovle this problem.After you experience and notice your fear,you will hope to change and admit it.

01:22
We will feel free when we speak out our fear.And we should listen compassionately to other's speak out of fear and creat a safe atmosphere to support them.

01:33
Two most hated words by Jobs and Apple are branding and marketing.Although Apples is famous for its marketing,but the company think that they just telling customers how to use their products and the market team is below other teams.

01:33
A startup whose main business is plant-based eggs gained 30 million dollars investment.

05:36
Main Idea: The new consumer law
The article introduced the origin of 315,and then came back to China.China is used  to use 315 an excuese to bash foreign companies.But at this 315,a more important thing is that a new consumer law was released.
This new law shows the aim of the government to transfer the economy to consumption-driven growth.And also new protection about online purchanse is in it.This new law may lead to ill-protected behavior of consumers and extra cost to sellers.
And class-action lawsuit is also appera in this new law,whihc was restricted to the government organization.And pressure from ordinary people prompted the governmet to tighten many standards of customer rights.
The new law seems to have no discrimination on local firms and foreign firms.But the truth is that local firms can deal much better with anger consumers than foreign firms do under this new law.Many foreigh frims are not ready for this new law.

TaoRs92

首页……………………………………thx~!!


time:1:35.41
People are living in fear.Not only employees,but also employers.
Many reasons and factors that lead to fear.
The problem--most of us keep fear in our own mind.
_______________
time:1:26.39
The first step--admit our fear,apreciate it.
________________
time:1:53.21
The second step--find the courage,show up our fear.
"When we try to bury our feelings,we bury them alive.But when we admit our fear,the fear is lossened."
Self awareness in working place.
_________________
time:1:40.55
Two words Steven hated most.
1 brands--artificial things.what important is the relationship with consumers.
2 marketing--not simply selling,but help consumers understand the products--marketing team communicate with tech team.
__________________
time:1:19.14
The new start-up that use others replace eggs to make products.
How did this start-up attract so many sucessful business genius.
_______________
time:5:40.37
The introduction of 315.New law established and released.
The motivation of this law--protect consumers bettet.Xi's action towards corruption.Help normal people enjoy the rules of the law.
Firms worry about the law:
1 gaps,it is difficult for firm to collect the dada of consumers and use them well.
2 consumers can hardly launch suits towards state firms.
3 start-ups may not compete with established ones--finally be bad for consumers.
4 limit multinational firms(high tech)
while Chinese local companies may gain spared in some laws,multinational firms are watched closely by the government.

hemodata

我居然在第一页了！

speaker: in this conversation, the man and the woman disscussed about the recent situation of their company. In the past, their company was the only player in the town, but now they have three competitors. The man first suggested that they can have a slashing pricce, that is, cut off the price. But the woman thinks their current price is competitive and she doesn't want to lower profit margin. So she suggested some other menthods, such as a two for one deal and giving out more gifts or trils. The man agreed with her, although both of them have no idea about what kind of freebies they should give out. If all these activities had no effect on regainning their customers, who are lured away by other companies, the man and the woman will face an extremly difficult time.

小蘑菇开始打怪

首页！！
-------------------
谢谢楼主！！发现这个时候首页的同志们都早早写好作业了。。我这个拖后腿的啊。。

time2:1:38

we live in a world fueled of fear

we fear about telling the truth and point out the scandal, however the HR want you to be honest

some times some supervisor also turn blind eyes to some bad news

it is a fantasy world without fears

time3:1:48

the first step to deal with fear is recognize it

some appearance we would have when we in the fear situation

this awareness is the first step on the road towards change

time4:1:36

fear is a feeling with no purpose

when we choose to speak out, we choose to express out feelings

what we can do in the work place to deal with fear and build a place with courage

time5:1:32

the two words that SJ hated most was branding and marketing, he think marketing is a dirty world

in SJ' mind, marketing is not just selling people the product, it is communicating with people what is the advantages of the product and what the product could bring to people

the most important thing is the relationship with consumers

time6:1:22

a man called HC built up a company which use plants to replace eggs attract 30 million investment

among the investment, there are some famous rich man such as LJC and BG

HC was once a staff in a company but he felt frustration to do the job so he talked with his friends to start his own company

time7:5:33

the original of 315, which is intended to protect the right of consumers

in China, every 315, the TV will broadcast some scandals to point out that some companies are intruding the rights of consumers

some foreign companies is afraid of the day because each year CCTV will criticize a foreign company and last year the company is Apple

the new consumer law will come into force at the day

the law enhance the rights of consumers which is intended to lift up the consumption to stimulate the economy

however, there are still some important gaps in the law, such as how to clarify the accuracy usage of consumers' private and what the companies could do to former consumers

the foreign companies are still afraid of the new law because former experience and the different situation in China, however, there are still some companies which are already prepared for the new law

clairellnnxx

Speaker: they talked about how to distinguish their company from other competitors.  Cutting down the price will be hard to profit margin, then they went to another directoin: putting some frills on theit products. The more bells and whistles the better.

time 2:1'32''
Most people are living in fear in workplaces, and they are fear of speaking ungood things out too.
we swallow our fears, then we pretend that everything is fine.

time 3: 1'24''
the solution to problems of being fear: the first step is to be aware of the confliction between constraining fear and addressing it.

time 4:2'02''
being authentic.
ppl feel free when speaking their fear out.
what should we do when we hear friend talk about their fears.

time 5:1'56''
How Steve Jobs shaped his company culture by saying no to "branding" and "marketing".What matters is that the relationship between the stuffs and the products, and that how workers of Apple help customers know well about their products.

time 6:1'30''
How a startup that replace eggs with plants gained a $30million investiment.

ob:
China's new customer law has local and foreign firms worried.  For example, on online shooping, retailers must take goods back within 7 days if consumers are not satisfied with it.
Some people worried about how the law will be implemented and enforced since transparency and trust are the most important factors.
The law may will be strict to foreign firms while local ones usually have been spared.
the way to deal with angry consumers.