今日では ビジネス英語ニュースレッスン, we look at new methods of raising capital for startups.
クラウドファンディング, the idea of gathering lots of small contributions from individuals to finance a company or a project, is one of the latest buzzwords to hit the business world. Born as a result of the economic crisis where access to financing from traditional sources is increasingly difficult, crowdfunding is another avenue to secure funds for entrepreneurial ventures; as This is Money explains:
Until recently, financing a business involved asking a few people for big sums of money. Crowdfunding is turning this idea on its head, using the Internet to help entrepreneurs talk to thousands – if not millions – of potential funders who each contribute a small amount.
Any time we plan a new project, develop a new product, open a new office, or expand a business operation, we need to discuss staffing needs. How many people do we need? What type of work will they do? What qualifications do they need? Where can we find them? What will we pay them? These are all questions that must be resolved if we are to make sure we’ve got the right people in the right jobs.
As they discuss staffing, the speakers in today’s dialog will use many expressions that we call “collocations.” Learning collocations will help you improve your vocabulary and help you sound more natural in English. しかし、コロケーションとは正確には何ですか? Simply put, a collocation is a natural combination of words. It’s an expression that English speakers commonly use. 例えば, we often say that something “meets a need” or “fills a need.” That sounds natural. But if you say “take a need” or “makes our needs”, people won’t understand. Those combinations aren’t natural collocations.
ダイアログ内で, we’ll hear a conversation between three managers who work for a fiber optics company that is starting a new production line. Carla works in the finance department, Hank is the HR manager, and Paul is a production manager. 一緒, they’re talking about how to staff, or recruit new workers, for the new venture.
リスニングの質問
1. Why does Carla think it will be difficult to bring in 15 new people? 2. What does Hank suggest about staffing the new project? 3. What kind of work does Paul say they will need to hire new people for?
