The secret of success. Мельник О.Г. - 12 стр.

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Engagement Rings
It was the marketing magic of De Beers which persuaded
Americans at the turn of the century to adopt the European custom of
giving a diamond engagement ring as a token of marriage The same
magic worked again in the 1950s when the Japanese in their desire to be
Western became the world's second largest market for cut diamonds And
when the Oppenheimer family who own De Beers found themselves with
a mountain of unsold small diamonds on their hands, they dreamt up the
idea of the eternity ring as a means of getting rid of them
Successful advertising
A perfect example of a near total monopoly, De Beers has always
found ways to boost demand and cut surplus production When General
Electric discovered a way to produce high-grade synthetic diamonds, De
Beers still managed somehow to prevent GE undercutting their prices In
fact the Oppenheimers have spent more than $160 million a year
repeating their message that "diamonds are forever", probably the most
successful advertising slogan of all time And even when profits are down
and their share price takes a tumble, D
E Beers makes sure that the legend
of the diamond lives on.
Massive stockpiling
Yet throughout its long and chequered history, what De Beers
has feared most is the prospect of plunging prices if other diamond
producers were ever to dump their surplus gems onto the world market
After all, it was by threatening to do just that that the Oppenheimers were
able to seize control of De Beers in the first place.
So far the company has
managed to soak up excess supply by buying up most of the diamonds in
the world But this has led to a massive accumulation of stocks in South
Africa with perhaps a further ten billion dollars worth in Russia alone
How long De Beers can contain such a huge surplus is now open to
question and perhaps even they will eventually fall victim to the
relentless laws of supply and demand.
1. Look back at the article. Find the expressions, which mean:
1.to moderate the extent of its control
2. a sharp decline in the value of its stock
3. the varied fortunes of the Past
2. Information Check
In groups, spend 10 minutes preparing a set of questions about the
article to ask the other groups. Use these question starters:
the broader world, or learning to work cooperatively.
I'm as impressed as the next person is when an 11-year-old can
do calculus. He or she is learning to think logically. But a kid who is
reading about Robinson Crusoe is thinking logically, too. It's not
completely different.
If you fall into an obsessive pattern in high school, you've got
two problems. One is that you're unlikely to change when you go to
college. The other is that if you don't get reasonably good grades, it's hard
to go to a college that has the highly motivated, capable students who can
really help you learn about the world.
In college it's appropriate to think about specialization. Getting
real expertise in an area of interest can lead to success — unless the
specialty ends up being a dead end or you're not good at it. Graduate
school is one way to get specialized knowledge, although extended
college education isn't always a good investment from a purely economic
standpoint.
Choosing a specialty isn't something high school students should
worry about. They should worry about getting a strong academic start.
There's not a perfect correlation between attitudes in high school and
success in later life, of course.
But it's a real mistake not to take the opportunity to learn a huge
range of subjects, to learn to work with people in high school, and to get
the grades that will help you get into a good college.
Exercises
1. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and
phrases and use them in the sentences of your own:
выбывать; мучительный; направлять; руководство; искренний; шанс
всей жизни; знать; подвергать риску; жертвовать; удивлен не
меньше, чем любой другой; тупик; точка зрения; соответствие.
2. Topics for discussion:
1. Pros and cons of self-education.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of a narrow specialised education.
3. What do you study for?
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