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II. Reading for main ideas.
1. Numbers the following in the order they appear in the
article.
1. It was Eric Wallenberg who designed the first Pak.
2. In 1950s Ruben Rausing produced the first Pak containers
and built up a huge business.
3. Soon Hans Rausing headed the company because he was
extremely talented businessman.
4. Ruben Rausing bought the patent and all rights from
Wallenberg for a little less than three hundred pounds.
5. The method used by Ruben’s wife in making home sausages
led him to the invention of Pak and made the couple very
rich.
6. The alluminium and plastic laminated container allowed the
Swedish brothers made their fortune.
2. In a word answer the following questions about what the
main idea tells:
1. Who?______
2. Where?_____
3. When?______
4. What?_______
Text 14
Why the last shall be first
I. Read the text to obtain information
Have you heard of Berkey or Ampex? Gablinger or Chux?
Perhaps you should have, because each occupies an important
place in the history of product innovation. Berkey produced
the first hand-held electronic calculators, Ampex the first
video recorders. Gablinger developed low-alcohol lager and
Chux sold the first disposable nappies.
Or perhaps you should not, because none of these companies
made a commercial success of their innovations. Today the
calculators we use are probably made by Casio, our video
recorder comes from Matsushita, our low-alcohol beer is Miller
Lite, our nappies are made by Procter & Gamble. In each of these
markets the innovator was swept away. Xerox looks like an
exception to this sorry catalogue. The company was first into the
photocopier market and, even if its dominance was ultimately
challenged by Canon, it remains a large and successful company
today. But Xerox was also a pioneer in fax machines and
personal computers. Each of these eventually proved to be a
success - but not for Xerox Corporation.
As we all know, it was Apple that developed the personal
computer market. But Apple's leadership quickly disappeared
when IBM came on the scene. Apple then jumped ahead by
introducing the graphical user interface. Its windows and mice
brought personal computing within the reach of everyone. But
it is Microsoft that does this now.
The business world is not kind to pioneers. Even if you know
how a market will develop, timing is a matter of luck - or of
quite exceptional skill.
There are two closely related lessons. One is that being first
is not often very important. The other is that innovation is
rarely a source of competitive advantage on its own.
Individuals and small companies can make a great deal of
money out of good new ideas. The success of large established
