Speak Business English Like an American » LESSON 7 - Discussing Bad Results
Alex: We need to face the music here. We're in deep trouble! Sales are down by 50 percent versus last year.
Pam: It looks like we're going to be in the red for the year to the tune of $1 million.
Ron: No wonder. We're losing market share to Manhattan Beer.
Alex: Why? We need to get to the bottom of this!
Pam: Every year they come up with new beers. They're really on top of trends. For instance, last year they released a low carb beer.
Ron: No wonder they're eating our lunch! They're cashing in on the latest trends and bringing great new products to market.
Pam: Meanwhile, we're running in place. We need a new product line and new ideas for marketing.
Alex: It's time to clean house and bring some new blood into this company.
Ron: You took the words right out of my mouth! We need some new people with fresh ideas.
NOTE: This expression comes from the accounting practice of marking debits (subtractions to the account) in red and credits (additions to the account) in black. The opposite of "in the red" is "in the black," meaning profitable.
Zylestra is a large pharmaceutical company. They haven't introduced any major new drugs in a long time. They've been (1) ___________ for the past few years. Their biggest competitor, Delmar Drugs, is stealing market share from them and is (2) ___________ . It's really (3) ___________ Delmar is more successful. Over the past few years, they've come out with effective drugs for lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease. Delmar understands what their customers want. They invest heavily in consumer research to stay (4) ___________ . Meanwhile, Zylestra is still selling the same drugs it was selling three years ago. If Zylestra doesn't follow Delmar's example and (5) ___________ soon, they're going to be (6) ___________ . Investors in the company hope that Richard Pierce, Zylestra's CEO, will (7) ___________ and take action to turn around the company. As a first step, he might consider bringing in some (8) ___________ to help him run the company.
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The purpose of the Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories series is to introduce English language learners to common idioms through humorous examples and illustrations. The lessons in this book will both entertain and enlighten students while providing exposure to how each idiom can be used in a variety of contexts.
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