商英
Unit 11
Trustworthy 可靠的 law-biding 守法的 corrupt 贪污的 A slush fund 行贿基金 a sweetener 贿赂compensation 补偿
Insider trading 内幕交易 industrial espionage 工业间谍 disclosure n.揭露，被泄露的丑闻 A whistleblower 告密者 a fraudster 骗子 a con artist 骗子 A bribe 贿赂 a bonus 奖金 a commission 提成 Fraud 诈骗 secrecy 保密 integrity 正直的
A confidentiality agreement 保密协议 a cover up 隐瞒 a white wash 洗白
1. Our company does nothing illegal. We are verylaw-abiding.
2. We’ve got a slush fund which is used in countries where it is difficult to do business without offering bribes.
3. Their car looked so much like our new model, we suspectindustrial espionage.
4. They fired him because he was a whistleblower. He informed the press that the company was using under-age workers in the factory.
5. He denied accepting a bribe when he gave the contract to most expensive supplier. 6. I admire our chairman. He’s a man of his word and is greatly respected for hisintegrity.
7. Many companies ask new employees to sign a confidentiality agreement to avoid future litigation problems.
Controversial 有争议的 corruption 腐败 transparency 透明度 threats 威胁 Regulation 规章制度 peer pressure 同辈压力
companies in the oil and mining sector have been taking the issue of corporate responsibility much more seriously recently. They are worried aboutthreatsto their reputations due to rumours of corruption and bribery.
Gocernment regulation and peer pressure from other companies has resulted in more transparency in the industry and less secrecy. The aviation industry has also received attention. Senior managers have been criticised for controversial decisions regarding payments to secure contracts.
Unit 13
Drawing board 计划阶段 prototype 雏形 brainwave 灵机一动 patent 专利证 Concept 观念 discovery 发现 setback 挫折阻碍 R&D（research and development） Breakthrough 突破 pioneers 开发者
The idea of a lone inventor who makes a discovery or has sudden clever idea or brainwave is maybe a little our of date today. While these types of pioneers do still exist, these days companies often have large R&D departments - teams of people who are constantly innovating and perfecting designs. Perhaps they begin with a concept and then build a prototype, or working model. Sometimes during testing there is a setback when it becomes clear the design has a fault. At this point maybe it is time to start again or go back to the drawing board. More work is done and there is a breakthrough - a solution is found. The product can be retested and then, hopefully, manufactured. The company will apply for a patent for the design so that others cannot copy it and steal the idea.
Unit 11
缺乏社会责任感的企业无处藏身
食品行业因导致肥胖而备受指责。手机运营商面临如何保护青少年免遭网络色情侵害的挑战。
The food industry is blamed for obesity. Mobile phone operators are challenged to protect teenagers from online pornography.
唱片公司因起诉在互联网上分享非法文档的音乐爱好者而遭受抨击。
Record companies are attacked when they sue music-lovers for sharing illegal files on the internet.
大企业纷纷被要求解释它们应对越来越多的社会、道德和环境问题的措施。
Big business is being asked to explain its approach to a growing number of social, ethical and environmental concerns. 美国的一家名为?企业社会责任（BSR）?的非盈利性咨询机构的首席执行官鲍勃·邓恩说，?企业对于BSR所提供的帮助的需求，现在达到了BSR成立九年以来的最高峰。?向BSR缴纳年费的会员包括许多世界顶级的跨国公司。
“we’re facing the greatest demand for our assistance that we’ve seen in our nine-year history,” says Bob Dunn, chief
微软、朗讯和联合技术和奥驰亚于今年都加入了BSR。作为卡夫食品和烟草巨头菲利浦·莫里斯的母公司，奥驰亚集团一直是压力团体和民事诉讼的重点对象。
Microsoft, Lucent and United Technologies have joined BSR this year, as well as Altria, a more obvious target for pressure groups and litigation, as the parent company of both Kraft Foods and Philip Morris.
一些一直成功地躲避了聚光灯的行业现在也发现自己正成为注意的焦点。社会活动人士已经开始关注一些计算机和通讯公司在加工厂里的工作条件。
Industries that until now had avoided the spotlight are finding attention is now focusing on them. Campaigners are beginning to show interest in working conditions in factories that make equipment for computer and telecommunications companies.
金融行业因为给一些国家有争议的项目提供贷款而感到压力。六月份，一些银行，包括花旗银行，巴克莱银行和荷兰银行，纷纷承诺不为有社会和环境问题的项目提供贷款。 The financial sector has come under pressure over lending to controversial projects in some countries. In June, a group of leading banks, including Citigroup, Barclays and ABN Amro, promised to avoid giving loans for socially or environmentally questionable projects.
今年，一些石油和矿业集团正受到来自于投资者、社会活动分子和英国政府组成的联盟的巨大压力，它们被要求公开其在一些国家的付款情况，其目的在于打击腐败。
Oil and mining groups have come under strong pressure this year from a coalition of investors, activists and the UK government to make public their payments to some countries in an effort to fight corruption. 与此同时，世界上一些最知名的鞋和服装品牌，包括李维·史特劳斯、耐克和锐步等，已经通过美国公平劳工协会主动采取措施增加其供应链的透明度。
Some of the world’s biggest footwear and clothing brands, including Levi Strauss, Nike and Reebok, have meanwhile taken voluntary measures through the US Fair Labor Association to increase the transparency of their supply chain.
他们在互联网上公布了第一批针对其供应厂商的独立审计报告，同时还公布了旨在改善低劣劳动标准的措施。
They published on the internet the first independent audits of their supplier factories, along with the steps taken to improve often terrible labour standards.
企业在其声誉面临现实的或潜在的威胁时通常会采取行动，卡夫七月份宣布减少其食品中的
脂肪和糖的含量，限制每份食品的大小，停止在学校进行营销活动。
Companies usually take action when they face a real or potential threat to their reputation, as when Kraft announced in July it would cut fat and sugar in its food, limit portion sizes and stop marketing in schools.
一场针对卡夫食品中的脂肪酸过量的诉讼，在卡夫宣布将解决这个问题后很快就撤诉了。 A lawsuit against Kraft over fatty acids was rapidly withdrawn after it said it would address the issue.
但是，也有一些公司主动采取这方面的行动，他们意识到这样做能提高其竞争力。据邓恩说，寻求竞争优势是俄国、波兰、土耳其和南非等国家的一些公司开始热衷于企业社会责任的一个重要因素。
a few companies are, however, taking a lead because they believe it will give them a competitive edge. Mr. Dunn says the search for competitive advantage is one factor creating interest in corporate responsibility among companies in countries such as Russia, Poland, Turkey and South Africa.
在英国，发布社会和环境报告的企业数量在过去的两年中大幅飚升，也折射出这个趋势。据英国的两个著名的咨询机构SalterBaxter和Context于本月发表的一份题为?方向?的研究报告称，半数以上的富时250指数公司都发布这样的年度报告。
In the UK, the trend is also reflected in the sharp rise in social and environmental reporting over the past two years. More than half the FTSE250 companies now produce annual reports , according to Directions, a study published this month by SalterBaxter and Context, two well-known UK consultancies.
有些行业，包括宾馆业、休闲业以及软件和计算机服务业，依然在遮遮掩掩。然而，随着投资者的关注、政府的监管和来自同行的压力形成了要求披露更多信息合力，这些行业正沦为数量越来越小的少数派。
Some sectors remain secretive, including hotels and leisure, and software and computer services. But they form a decreasing minority as investor interest, regulation and peer pressure combine to force greater disclosure.
十多年前，当第一份非财务性企业报表发布时，它的重点是环境问题。现在，在富时250指数公司中，有100家的报告均涉及环保、社会和道德问题。欧洲最大的50家公司中的40家也发布这样的报告。
When the first nonfinancial reports came out more than a decade ago, they focused on the environment, social and ethical issues. Forty of the fifty largest European companies also produce reports.
然而，该研究发现，在美国标准普尔评级中最大的50家公司中只有22家发布这类报告。但是，仅仅依靠公司自发的行动能取得多大成就？政府应该承担怎样的角色？消费者能否实现如意算盘，既对企业提出如此高的要求，又不改变自身的生活方式？
In the US, however, only 22 of the S&P top 50 reported, the study found. But how much can companies be expe4cted to achieve on their own? What is the role of government? Can consumers have it all, demanding such high standards of companies while refusing to change their lifestyle?
Unit 12
宜家帝国的核心螺栓
英格瓦·坎普拉德可不是一般的亿万富翁。这位宜家家具帝国的创始人乘坐经济舱旅行，开着一辆有十年历史的沃尔沃汽车，总是下午去买水果和蔬菜，因为这时价格往往便宜些。如果有人问他生活中有什么奢侈的消费时，他的回答是：?我偶尔喜欢买一件高档衬衫或一条围巾，吃点瑞典鱼子酱。?
Ingvar Kamprad is no ordinary multi-billionaire. The founder of the Ikea furniture empire travels economy class, drives a 10-year-old Volvo and buys his fruit and vegetables in the afternoons, when prices are often cheaper. Ask him about the luxuries in his life and he says:“ From time to time, I like to buy a nice shirt and cravat and eat Swedish caviar.”
坎普拉德先生是战后欧洲最杰出企业家之一。宜家创建于1943，当时仅仅从事邮购业务，现如今已经发展成为在全球31个国家经营，员工总数超过7万的国际化零售业巨头。 Mr. Kamprad is one of Europe’s greatest post-war entrepreneurs. What began as a mail-order bu8siness in 1943 has grown into an international retailing phenomenon across 31 countries with 70,000 employees. 宜家的销售额逐年上涨。宜家的产品目录是全世界印数最多的印刷品，每年达到不可思议的1.1亿册。坎普拉德先生也变得异常富有。根据美国《福布斯》杂志，他的身价达到134亿美元（87亿英镑），位列全球第17位。