新标准商务英语阅读教程4- 课件U1 Business models

UnitBusinessmodels11Businessmodelsarenotsetinstoneandcanevolveovertime.Forexample,manycompanieshaveshiftedfromtraditionalbrick-and-mortarretailstorestoonlinesalesduetochangingconsumerpreferencesandadvancementsine-commercetechnology.Whatotherpopularbusinessmodelsdoyouknow?Thereareseveralpopularbusinessmodelsthatcompaniesusetogeneraterevenueandachieveprofitability.Someoftheseinclude:Freemiummodel:Inthismodel,acompanyoffersabasicversionofitsproductorserviceforfree,whilechargingcustomersforpremiumfeaturesoradditionalservices.Franchisemodel:Thismodelinvolveslicensingaprovenbusinessconcepttoindividualfranchisees,whothenoperatetheirownlocalizedversionsofthebusinessunderthebrand’sumbrella.Fastfoodchainsandcoffeeshopsliketousethismodel.Direct-to-consumer(DTC)model:Inthismodel,acompanysellsitsproductsdirectlytoconsumers,bypassingtraditionalretailchannels.DTCbrandsoftenusee-commerceplatformsandsocialmediamarketingtoreachtheirtargetaudience.Wholesalemodel:Inthismodel,acompanysellsitsproductstoretailersordistributorsatawholesaleprice,whothensellthemtoconsumersatamarkup.Manymanufacturersandsuppliersusethismodeltoreachawideraudience.Licensingmodel:Thismodelinvolvesgrantingpermissiontoanothercompanyorindividualtouseacompany’sintellectualproperty(IP),suchaspatents,trademarks,orcopyrightedmaterial,inexchangeforroyaltiesorfees.2Ifgivenachancetobuildyourowncompany,whichkindofbusinessmodelwouldyouadopt?Why?IfIweretobuildacompany,Iwouldlikelyadoptasubscription-basedbusinessmodel.Hereareafewreasonswhy:1.

PredictablerevenueAsubscriptionmodelprovidesasteadyandpredictablestreamofrevenue.Thisiscrucialforlong-termfinancialplanningandstability.Knowingthatacertainamountofmoneywillcomeinregularlyallowsthecompanytoinvestingrowth,researchanddevelopment,andmarketingwithmoreconfidence.2.

CustomerretentionfocusWithasubscriptionmodel,thesuccessofthebusinessiscloselytiedtocustomersatisfactionandretention.Thisencouragesthecompanytocontinuouslyimproveitsproductsorservicestokeepcustomershappyandreducechurn.Itfostersalong-termrelationshipwithcustomersratherthanfocusingsolelyonone-timesales.3.

ScalabilitySubscriptionbusinessescanscaleefficiently.Oncethecoreproductorserviceisestablished,addingnewsubscribersofteninvolveslowermarginalcosts.Thismeansthatasthecustomerbasegrows,thecompanycanachieveeconomiesofscale,makingitmoreprofitableovertime.4.

FlexibilityandinnovationAsubscriptionmodelallowsforflexibilityinofferingdifferenttiersofserviceorproducts,cateringtoawiderangeofcustomerneedsandbudgets.Italsoencouragescontinuousinnovation,ascompaniescanintroducenewfeaturesorservicestokeepsubscribersengagedandattractnewones.Whyecosystemfirmsarethefuturehierarchyasystemoforganizationinwhichpeopleorthingsaredividedintolevelsofimportancee.g.Inalargemultinationalcorporation,thehierarchydeterminesthedecision-makingpowerateachlevel,fromtheboardofdirectorsatthetoptothefront-lineemployeesatthebottom.ancillaryrelatingtoorsupportingsth.else,butlessimportantthanite.g.Themarketingdepartmentprovidesancillarysupporttothesalesteam,helpingthempromoteproductsandincreasebrandawareness.wingoneofthepartsofalargebuilding,especiallyonethatsticksoutfromthemainparte.g.Thenewwingoftheofficebuildingwillbededicatedtotheresearchanddevelopmentdepartment,providingthemwithmorespaceforinnovation.Whyecosystemfirmsarethefuturenetworkeffecttheeffectthathappenswhenaproductoraservicegainsvalueasmorepeopleuseite.g.SocialmediaplatformslikeWeChatbenefitgreatlyfromthenetworkeffect.Asmorepeoplejoin,theplatformbecomesmorevaluable,attractingevenmoreusers.mattressthesoftpartofabedthatyoulieone.g.Ourcompanyisinthebusinessofmanufacturinghigh-qualitymattresses,targetingthemid-tohigh-endmarket.proliferatetorapidlyincreaseinnumber

e.g.Onlineshoppingplatformshaveproliferatedinrecentyears,providingconsumerswithmorechoicesandconvenience.Whyecosystemfirmsarethefuturevelocitythespeedatwhichsth.movesinaparticulardirectione.g.Inthefast-pacedworldofe-commerce,thevelocityoforderprocessingiscrucialforcustomersatisfaction.velocityofmoneyameasurementoftherateatwhichmoneyisexchangedinaneconomye.g.Duringaneconomicboom,the

velocityofmoneyusuallyincreasesaspeoplearemorewillingtospendandinvest.adjacentnexttoornearsth.elsee.g.Thecompany’snewstoreislocatedadjacent

toapopularshoppingmall,whichhelpsattractmorecustomers.Whyecosystemfirmsarethefutureluretopersuadesb.todosth.,oftensth.wrongordangerous,bymakingitseemattractiveorexcitinge.g.Thecompanyusedahigh-salaryoffertolureatop-levelengineerfromacompetitor.marketmakerafirmoranindividualwhoquotesbothabuyandasellpriceinatradableassetheldininventory,hopingtomakeaprofitonthebid-askspreadorturne.g.The

marketmakerstabilizesthestockpricebyprovidingcontinuousbuyandsellquotes.accommodatetoadjustone’splansorbehaviortofittheneedsofotherse.g.Ourcompanyiswillingtoaccommodatethespecialneedsofourkeyclientstomaintainalong-termbusinessrelationship.Whyecosystemfirmsarethefutureverticalhavingastructureinwhichtherearetop,middle,andbottomlevelse.g.Ourcompany’sverticalstructurestreamlinescommunicationbetweendifferentdepartments.hurdleaproblemoradifficultythatyoumustdealwithbeforeyoucanachievesth.e.g.Oneofthemajorhurdlesforthestartupistosecuresufficientfundingtoexpanditsbusiness.modemapieceofelectronicequipmentthatallowsinformationfromonecomputertobesentalongtelephonelinestoanothercomputere.g.Theoffice’sinternetconnectionwasdisruptedbecauseofamalfunctioningmodem,affectingtheefficiencyofdailywork.Whyecosystemfirmsarethefuturetractorastrongvehiclewithlargewheels,usedforpullingfarmmachinerye.g.Theagriculturalmachinerycompanyrecentlylaunchedanewtypeoftractor,aimingtomeettheneedsoflarge-scalefarming.nucleusasmall,importantgroupatthecenterofalargergroupororganizatione.g.TheR&Ddepartmentisthenucleusofourcompany,drivinginnovationandproductdevelopment.configuretoarrangesth.,especiallycomputerequipment,sothatitworkswithotherequipmente.g.TheITstaffspenthoursconfiguringthenewserverstoensuretheycouldworksmoothlywiththeexistingnetworksystem.Whyecosystemfirmsarethefuturereadinganumberoranamountshownonameasuringinstrumente.g.Thetemperaturereading

ontheindustrialthermometerindicatesthattheproductionprocessiswithinthenormalrange.tillagetheactivityofpreparingsoilforplantingbybreakingupandturningitovere.g.Thenewtillagetechnologyintroducedbytheagriculturalcooperativecanimprovesoilqualityandincreasecropyields.self-sustainingabletocontinueinahealthyorsuccessfulstatewithouthelpfromanyoneoranythingelsee.g.Ourgoalistocreateaself-sustainingsupplychainwithinthenextfiveyears,reducingourrelianceonexternalsuppliersandenhancingourlong-termbusinessresilience.Understandingthetext1Decidewhetherthefollowingstatementsaretrue(T),false(F),ornotgiven(NG)accordingtothetext.____1.Platformfirmsaimatcollaboration,engagement,andcooperation.____2.Platformfirmsexpandmorequicklyandatlowercostsincontrasttovaluechainfirmsandecosystemfirms.____

3.Uberadoptstheecosystemmodelandsolvesabroadersetofcustomerneeds.____

4.Individualsandgroupsarenottargetsorpartnersformaximizingprofitsbutactiveparticipantsintheecosystemmodel.FNGTTUnderstandingthetext____5.Thestructureoftheecosystemfirmisfixed,butitcanaccommodatenewparticipantsofdifferenttypeswithdifferentneeds.____

6.Traditionalfirmstendtohaveaverticalhierarchyofauthority.____7.Self-sustainingecosystemfirmsareabletoavoidtheup-and-downcyclecharacteristicofvaluechainfirms.TTFUnderstandingthetext2Discussthefollowingquestions.1.Whatareplatformfirms?Whatarethestrengthsandweaknessesofplatformfirms?2.Howdoestheecosystemmodelwork?3.AccordingtoPara.13,whydomosttraditionalfirmslacktheagilitytoimplementtheecosystemmodel?4.DoyouknowanyChinesefirmsthatadopttheecosystemmodel?5.Whatdoyouthinkmightbethedrawbacksoftheecosystemmodel?Understandingthetext1.Whatareplatformfirms?Whatarethestrengthsandweaknessesofplatformfirms?Platformfirmsorchestrateandfacilitateexchangesbymatchingriderswithdrivers,buyerswithsellers,andtravelerswithhostswhohaveanavailableroom.Theyalsodevelopexperienceandprovideancillaryandrelatedservices.Thestrengthsofplatformfirmsarethattheyscalemorequicklyandatlowercoststhanvaluechainfirms.However,oneweaknessofplatformfirmsisthattheyareeasytocopy,asseenwithcompetitorsproliferatinginthemattressandmealkitindustries.Additionally,someplatformfirms,suchasride-hailingplatforms,donotgetthesamevelocityofmoneyboostfromnetworkeffectsasotheronlinerentingfirms,becausetheirdemandislocalandadditionalridersdon’taddvalueforotherriders.Understandingthetext2.Howdoestheecosystemmodelwork?Theecosystemmodelworksbycreatinganetworkofcompaniesorbusinessunitsthatcollaborateandsharedatawitheachothertoprovideadjacentproductsorservices.Thisallowstheecosystemtosolveabroadersetofcustomerneedsbeyondjusttheinitialproductorserviceofferedbythecompany.Understandingthetext3.AccordingtoPara.13,whydomosttraditionalfirmslacktheagilitytoimplementtheecosystemmodel?Traditionalfirmsoftenhaveaverticalhierarchyofauthority,whichmeansthatdecisionsaremadeatthetoplevelandthentrickleddowntovariousdepartmentsorteamswithintheorganization.Thereisoftenalackofcollaborationamongdepartmentsorteamswithinthefirm,letalonewithexternalpartners.Understandingthetext4.DoyouknowanyChinesefirmsthatadopttheecosystemmodel?AnexampleofaChinesecompanythathasadoptedanecosystemmodelisXiaomi.Xiaomicreatesawiderangeofsmarthardwareproducts,suchassmartphones,smarthomedevices,andwearables,andpartnerswithothercompaniestocreateaninterconnectedecosystemofproductsandservices.Thecompany’secosystemstrategyallowsittogeneraterevenuenotonlyfromthesalesofitsownproductsbutalsofromtheservicesandcontentthatareavailablewithinitsecosystem,suchasmusicstreaming,e-books,andonlineshopping.

UnderstandingthetextWhiletheecosystemmodelcanbehighlyeffective,itisnotwithoutitsdrawbacks.Someofthepotentialdownsidesinclude:Complexity:Buildingandmaintaininganecosystemrequiresahighlevelofcomplexity,asitinvolvesmanagingmultiplestakeholders,partners,andtechnologies.Thiscanmakeitdifficulttomanageandscalethebusinesseffectively.Dependenceonpartners:Anecosystemreliesheavilyonpartnershipswithothercompaniesandorganizations.Ifthesepartnersfailorbecomeunreliable,itcanhaveasignificantimpactonthesuccessoftheecosystem.5.Whatdoyouthinkmightbethedrawbacksoftheecosystemmodel?UnderstandingthetextLimitedcontrol:Whenusinganecosystemmodel,youaregivingupsomecontroloveryourproductorservice.Thiscanbechallengingifyouwanttomaintainaconsistentbrandimage.Long-termcommitment:Buildinganecosystemisalong-termcommitmentthatrequiresongoinginvestmentinresearchanddevelopment,marketing,andpartnershipmanagement.Thiscanbeachallengeforcompanieswithlimitedresourcesorthoselookingforquickreturnsoninvestment.thriveonB.tocompletelychangesth.intoadifferentformorstatetell…apartC.notabletoexistorworkwithanotherpersonorthingbecauseofbasicdifferencesgopublicD.tobecomesuccessfulorhappyinaparticularsituationincompatiblewithE.tobecomeapubliccompanybysellingitssharesonthestockexchangetransform…intoA.todistinguishbetweentwoormorethingsorpeopleLanguagework1Matchthephraseswiththeirmeanings.Languagework2Completethefollowingsentenceswiththeproperformofthephrasesfromtheaboveexercise.1.Thenewsoftwareupdateis________________theexistinghardware,soasystemupgradeisrequired.2.Thecompanyisplanningto___________itstraditionalretailmodel

_________

anonlineplatform.3.Thenewproductlineis_______________thegrowingdemandforeco-friendlyproducts.4.It’shighlyimportanttobeableto_______customercomplaints_______fromconstructivefeedback.5.Followingyearsofgrowthandsuccess,thecompanydecided

to________toprovidepeoplewithmoreoptionstoinvest.

incompatiblewith

transform

thrivingonapart

gopublic

into

tellLanguagework3TranslatethefollowingexpressionsintoChinese.1.anorganizationalecosystem2.avaluechainfirm3.maximizeshareholdervalue4.aplatformfirm5.ago-tobrand6.gravitationalpull7.abarriertoentry8.two-waycommunication9.anadd-onsensingdevice10.atelecommunicationssoftware组织生态系统

吸引力

股东价值最大化统平台公司首选品牌行业进入壁垒双向沟通电信软件价值链公司附加传感装置UsingamatrixorganizerUsingamatrixorganizerinreadingisaneffectivewaytomakecomparisonandcontrast.Itallowsforaside-by-sidecomparisonthathelpsidentifynuanceddifferencesandcommonalitiesacrossvariousdimensions.Whenemployingthisstrategy,wefirstneedtodecideonthecriteria,followedbycreatingthematrixbydrawingatablewithrowsrepresentingobjectstobecomparedandcolumnsrepresentingthecomparisoncriteria.Eachcellinthematrixwillcontaininformationrelatedtohowaparticularobjectperformsonaspecificcriterion.ToreadTextAusingamatrixorganizer,weshouldfirstidentifydifferenttypesoffirmsandthekeyelementstocompareacrossthem.Wewillusethesetypesasrowsandusetheselectedelementsforcomparisonascolumns.HereisthematrixwiththemainidentifiedcriteriaforTextA:UsingamatrixorganizerCriterionTraditionalvaluechainfirmPlatformfirmEcosystemfirmStructureHierarchicalFlattenedNetworkedKeyactivitiesSourcing,design,manufacturing,andmarketingOrchestratingandfacilitatingexchangesCollaboratingwithothersandsharingdataGoalMaximizingshareholdervalueScalingquicklyProblem-solving,valuecreation,andsharedwealthParticipantsFirmsandcustomersBuyersandsellers…MultiplepeopleandgroupsOperatingmodelCompetingwithcompetitors,defendingassets…IntermediationCollaborationandcollectiveengagementAgilityLowHigherHighestUsingamatrixorganizerThismatrixallowsforaside-by-sidecomparisonofthecharacteristics,strengths,andstrategiesoftraditionalvaluechainfirms,platformfirms,andecosystemfirms.Italsohighlightstheadvantagesofecosystemfirms.Whycustomerloyaltyprogramscanbackfire

customerloyaltyprogramastrategyinwhichbusinessesofferrewards,discounts,andotherspecialincentivesasawaytoattractandretaincustomerse.g.Ourcompanyhaslaunchedacustomerloyaltyprogram,offeringspecialmemberpricingandexclusiveaccesstonewproductpre-orderstoretainlong-termcustomers.stockoutasituationinwhichacompanyorashophasnomoreofaparticularitemavailablee.g.Thestockoutofthebest-sellingproductlastmonthledtoasignificantlossofsalesandcustomerdissatisfaction.boomerangeffectasituationinwhichsth.hastheoppositeeffectfromtheoneyouintendede.g.Themarketingtea’sattempttocutcostsbyreducingadvertisingbackfired,creatingaboomerangeffectasbrandawarenessdecreased.Whycustomerloyaltyprogramscanbackfire

white-gloveprovidingaveryhighlevelofservice,orinvolvingalotofcareaboutsmalldetailse.g.Theluxuryhotelofferswhite-gloveservice,withstaffattendingtoeveryguest’sneedpromptlyandcourteously.limited-timeofferapromotionalstrategywhereadiscountoraspecialdealisonlyavailableforalimitedperiodoftimee.g.Toboostsalesduringtheslowseason,wearerunningalimited-timeoffer,providinga30%discountonallproductsforthenexttwoweeks.Whycustomerloyaltyprogramscanbackfire

cashbackasysteminwhichbusinessesencouragepeopletobuysth.bygivingthemmoneyaftertheyhaveboughtite.g.Manye-commerceplatformsattractcustomerswithcashbackoffers,whichgiveacertainpercentageofthepurchaseamountbacktothebuyers.specialmemberpricingdiscountsordealsofferedexclusivelytomembersofaloyaltyprograme.g.Asamemberofourloyaltyprogram,youcanenjoyspecialmemberpricingonallourproducts,savingupto20%onregularretailprices.Whycustomerloyaltyprogramscanbackfire

siloapartofacompany,anorganization,orasystemthatdoesnotcommunicatewith,understand,orworkwellwithotherpartse.g.Thelackofcommunicationbetweendepartmentscreatedsilos,resultingininefficienciesandduplicatedefforts.point-of-saletechnologyatoolthatisusedtoprocesstransactionsbyretailcustomers,whichrecordscustomerpurchases,acceptspayments,providesreceipts,etc.e.g.Theadoptionofadvancedpoint-of-saletechnologyhasspedupthecheckoutprocessandimprovedtheoverallshoppingexperienceforcustomers.UnderstandingthetextAnswerthefollowingquestions.

1.Whataretheupsidesofcustomerloyaltyprograms?2.Whydoloyalmembersgetmoreupsetthannonmemberswhentheyencounterservicefailures?3.AccordingtoPaulaCourtney,whydoesittakelongerforloyalmemberstogettheirproblemssolved?4.Whatkindofservicefailuresshouldretailerspaythemostattentionto?5.Whatbenefitscanretailersprovidetomaketheirloyalmembersfeelvalued?Understandingthetext1.Whataretheupsidesofcustomerloyaltyprograms?Membersaremorelikelythanotherstobuyfromaretailerwhoseprogramtheybelongto.Theyvisitthewebsiteorstoremorefrequently,andtheyaremorelikelytodownloadtheretailer’sapp,engagewiththeretaileronsocialmedia,andrecommendittofamilyandfriends.Understandingthetext2.Whydoloyalmembersgetmoreupsetthannonmemberswhentheyencounterservicefailures?Becausetheypurchasethebrandmorefrequentlythannonmembersdo,theyexperiencesuchproblemsmoreoften.Understandingthetext3.AccordingtoPaulaCourtney,whydoesittakelongerforloyalmemberstogettheirproblemssolved?Becausetheyareoftenbouncedaroundbetweendifferentdepartmentsandarestrugglingtogetresolution.Thisispartlyduetothefactthatloyaltydepartmentsarenotempoweredtohelpthem,whichcanbefrustratinggiventhecustomers’highexpectationsforhowtheyshouldbeserved.Additionally,loyalmembersfrequentlyneedtoensurethatthepointsorrewardstheyhaveearnedareproperlyaccountedfor,whichoftenmeanstheyarebouncedbacktotheloyaltyormarketingdepartment.Understandingthetext4.