Search The ecole des mines (emse.fr)
Search the Web

 A Business Secret 

Check out the definitions here below and then read following tale.
 
Wherewithal:  financial capital or monetary means Start-up: a new business, creating an enterprise from scratch.
Business Plan:  is a description of the business itself plus mangagement, marketing, financial strategy for creating a new firm.
 Financing: to provide the money, usually included for this service are fees and interest payments.
Venture Capitalists:  are investors who make available funds to innovative companies at relatively high risk. They are sort of gambling bankers. Stay below the radar: this phrase means be undetectable. In business parlance: Try to avoid notice . Don't brag about new products until they hit the stores.
Industrial Spying:  Trying to ferret out or discover economic, trade secrets, practises, etc.  of a company.
 Collateral:  serving as a guarrantee, or functioning as support
Stock: a corporation raises capital by selling stocks in the the company this usually intitles the buyers to dividends, voting and property rights.
 Bankrupt: the act of being declared legally insolvent, impoverished.
Any assets or wealth of the firm or individual is then distributed to creditors.
Mortgage: to conditionally promise or convey property to a creditor in return for money. To put at risk, claim, or pledge
Want more definitions? How about Dictionary.com?
Choose the answer that makes sense in the context of the story:

1.  Jerome and Florence had a great idea for a  ___________.
A. Venture Capitalists
B. Industrial Spying or Espionage
C. Start-up
D. Stay below the Radar
E. Business Plan

2. They have already tentatively contacted some ____________  who seem interested.
A. Venture Capitalists
B. Industrial Spying or Espionage
C. Start-up
D. Stay below the Radar
E. Business Plan

3.  Now the new partners must formulate a __________ to present to these market speculators.
A. Venture Capitalists
B. Industrial Spying or Espionage
C. Start-up
D. Stay below the Radar
E. Business Plan

4. Jerome is worried about ___________ and is keeping mum about the whole subject.
A. Venture Capitalists
B. Industrial Spying or Espionage
C. Start-up
D. Stay below the Radar
E. Business Plan

5.  Florence agrees . She feels that the best way to succeed is to be:  innovative, fast to the market, and ______________.

A. Venture Capitalists
B. Industrial Spying or Espionage
C. Start-up
D. Stay below the Radar
E.  Business Plan
                       Choose the word that best replaces the underlined word.        
6.  Even though they may get some outside funding Florence and Jerome will have to provide some money of their own. .
A. Stock
B. Financing
C. Mortgage
D. Wherewithal
E. Collateral

7. Jerome's father bought him some shares in Microsoft and Cisco Systems when he was little.
A. Stock
B. Financing
C. Mortgage
D. Wherewithal
E. Collateral

8. Even though they are held for him in a trust fund until he is 25,  Jerome can use part of their value  as security for a loan from the bank.
A. Stock
B. Financing
C. Mortgage
D. Wherewithal
E. Collateral

9. As to Florence, her rich uncle Yassine left her free and clear a house in Bordeaux. She plans to borrow on the house.
A. Stock
B. Financing
C. Mortgage
D. Wherewithal
E. Collateral

10. Thus providing the financial resources for her stake in their new enterprise
A. Stock
B. Financing
C. Mortgage
D. Wherewithal
E. Collateral

 

Bonus Question:
I heard their friend Geoffrey say that " Whatever you do try NOT to go out of business in the first two years!" I guess he feels that
if you can avoid that then you've got a good chance of success. But  I have to ask myself: why does he know something about their
plans and not me? Don't they think that I can keep a secret?

Ce texte © 2003-2004  Christopher Yukna - tous droits réservés


Professor of English
Ecole des Mines
158 cours Fauriel
St.Etienne
FRANCE 		 chris yukna
Would you like to check out Yukna's Bazzar?
You should find a lot of quizzes, lessons and ideas
there.