Business English through Reading

18 frontline staff – персонал, работающий с клиентами to trial – опробовать to beat expectations – превзойти ожидания to roll out – применить, ввести в действие to work on the ground – работать на местах Topic 5. Money Ex. 1 Discuss the questions. 1. What are the most profitable companies for the last 10 years? 2. In your opinion, what companies will have the largest market share in the near future? Ex. 2 Read and translate the text. Why Apple is no longer a byword for innovation – just ask the markets Which company would you say is going to grow faster in the coming years: Apple or Domino 's Pizza? Intuitively, we see Apple as an innovative firm with a forward-looking culture and disruptive ideas, while Domino's Pizza operates in a traditional sector where growth opportunities are limited. Ask a recent MBA graduate whether she would rather accept a job offer from either company and I bet I can predict the answer with 99% confidence. In the past ten years, Apple's stock market performance has been outstanding. On an annual basis, the stock has been delivering returns of 32%, so that US$100 invested on November 2008 is worth US$1,640 today. Not bad. But in the past two months Apple shares have lost more than quarter of their value. This is partly due to its own perfo1mance, but primarily down to the scrutiny that regulators and society in general are putting on digital platforms and concerns about privacy and security. More broadly, however, it is reflective of the fact that Apple should no longer be considered an innovative growth company. Apple's growth over the past decade (and the stock performance that accompanied it) is a reflection of its profitable operations. In the past year, Apple reported a net profit margin of 22.4%. This compares to a meagre 10.6% for Domino's Pizza. At the end of the day, pizza is a consumer-goods product that is hard to sel...