Unit 13: Takeovers and MergersPhoto Courtesy: http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/5880/5880,1304415300,4/stock-photo-background-concept-wordcloud-illustration-of-merger-acquisition-glowing-light-76438678.jpg

“You cannot buy a company merely by buying its shares. “

Sir James Goldsmith (1933 – 1997)Anglo-French Financier

TAKEOVER

MERGER

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JOINT VENTURE

MBO (manager buyout)

(make) BID

MERGER

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MBI (manager

buyin)

(take) STAKE

TAKEOVER/ACQUISITIO

N

Reading, pg. 111

big picture (3-4), adj.very important

ground rules (118), n.basic rules

the nitty-gritty (132), n.details

buy-in (132), n.acceptance

shop floor (146), n.where the goods are made

steam-rollered (172), v.forced to do something

Reading, pg. 111DOs DON’Ts

Prepare early before the merger is announced publicly

Relax once the deal is signed

Newspaper Headlines• Not always complete sentences

Challenge for Euro• May contain strings of three or more nouns

Pharmaceutical company takeover battle• Omit articles (the, a, an)

Coke and Danone close to deal• Omit the verb to be

Orange CEO likely to quit• Use simple tenses instead of perfect and continuous

Shell confirms China stake• Use Present Simple for both present and past events

US law firms agree merger deal• Use infinitive to refer to the future

Nokia chief to stand down• If a continuous form is used the verb to be is omitted

Prices going through the roof• Use short words to save space

axe, blow, hail, slam, flak, top, link, bid, block, seek, deal, over, unveil, split, row, back

Skills: summarising

“Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you just told them.“

Andrea Paciniauthor of the blog EchoPresentations

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Audience attention curve in presentations

Useful language

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Referring back

Asking for

feedback

Using emotive

language

Making points in threes

Ordering

Asking rethorical questions

Exemplifying Repetition

You and your colleagues work for a big pharmaceutical company which is doing very well at the moment. Your company is planning a merger with another company from a different country. The other company is currently struggling wih financial difficulties.Discuss the possible advantages and disadvantages of the merger (economical, organisational, cultural, etc.).Write an e-mail to your company’s CEO summarising the main points you discussed.Pay attention to:• Introductory phrase• Organisation of your e-mail• Typical language for summarising• Usage of linking phrases (furthermore, but, moreover, etc.)• Positive ending remark• Closing phrase

Writing: a report to the company’s CEO

Thank you for listening!