- takeover – приобретение контрольного пакета акций, поглощение одной компании другой
- rival – конкурент
- managing director – директор-распорядитель
- to devise a ruthless turnaround strategy – разработать жесткую стратегию
- key team – основная команда
- to implement – привести в исполнение, делать
- scale – масштаб, размер, охват
- streamline – направление движения
- to spot – заметить
- target – цель
- to launch a hostile bid – развернуть борьбу за слияние фирм
- to bug – ставить жучок
- stock market – рынок ценных бумаг
- bid documents – официальная заявка (цены акции на торгах)
- takeover bid – условия, предлагаемые при приобретении контрольного пакета акций
- to inflate – вздувать цены
- on smb’s behalf – от ч-л имени
- rigid – непреклонный, стойкий
- infamous – пользующийся дурной славой
- arbitrage – скупщик ценных бумаг (брокер)
- to rocket – взмыть вверх
- to swap for – обменять
Task I Explain who or what the underlined proper names stand for.
Task II Agree or disagree
- Guinness is famous worldwide for its whisky.
- Ernest Saunders managed to solve Guinness’ problems.
- In early 80s Saunders was ready to expand the Guinness Company.
- Distillers was 300 mln pounds worth.
- The battle between Our Guyle Group and Guinness Company was quite fair.
- The price of Distillers’ shares was fixed by the official bid documents.
- The Company’s Act of 1985 forbids to manipulate share prices during a takeover bid.
- Saunders knew the law and observed it.
- Saunders’s friends agreed to help him to support the Guinness share price and their help was free of charge.
- Guinness’ shares became much more expensive than those of Our Guyle Group.
- Guinness won their historic battle against the Our Guyle Group.
Task III Finish up the sentences.
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- The takeover battle for the Scottish Distillers company involving Guinness and their rival Our Guyle Group was ………….
- Ernest Saunders took over as …..
- In the early years of the 80s Saunders efforts were …………………
- Well, Guinness with Distillers will be able to have a scale that is necessary to develop business in world markets and that’s terribly important, because ………………………
- James Gulliver, head of the Scottish-based Our Guyle supermarket group ………………….
- Each company attacked the other …………………………………… (up to “but the real battlefield’)
- The other lessons are that in big takeover bids anything goes unless the controllers are ………………………
- During the course of the Distillers takeover battle………………………….
- The value of the Guinness bid was impossible…………………………….
- Well, we’ve just heard that Guinness have won their historic battle ………………………………
Task IV Answer the questions:
- Why was the takeover battle for the Distillers so scandalous?
- Was Saunders a professional? Prove.
- What were the Guinness Company’s plans in early 80s and in the middle of the 80s?
- What is Distillers company famous for?
- What made Guinness fight for Distillers with all its might?
- How did the rivals try to get Distillers’ shares?
- What made Saunders act against the law?
- What plan did Saunders devise to win the battle?
- Whom did he ask for help?
- Was his plan a success?
Task V Put down the extract from “But the real battlefield was London’s stock market…” up to “on its behalf.”
Task VI Retell the first part in James Gulliver’s name.