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Reading. HW 5

Ringtons Tea began in 1907 when Samuel Smith started delivering tea by horse-drawn cart. It grew over time and was passed down to his sons when Samuel died in 1949. The current chairman is Nigel Smith, Samuel's great-grandson. While all shareholders are related to Samuel, some employees like Paul Hodgson, the catering manager of 25+ years, are not. Ringtons remains a close-knit family business focused on long-term success over immediate profits. Nigel Smith will eventually step down but isn't anxious as he plans to remain for some time, ensuring the right successor is chosen from over 25 members of the new generation.

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64 views

Reading. HW 5

Ringtons Tea began in 1907 when Samuel Smith started delivering tea by horse-drawn cart. It grew over time and was passed down to his sons when Samuel died in 1949. The current chairman is Nigel Smith, Samuel's great-grandson. While all shareholders are related to Samuel, some employees like Paul Hodgson, the catering manager of 25+ years, are not. Ringtons remains a close-knit family business focused on long-term success over immediate profits. Nigel Smith will eventually step down but isn't anxious as he plans to remain for some time, ensuring the right successor is chosen from over 25 members of the new generation.

Uploaded by

Thảo Thanh
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading

Read the following article about a family business and complete questions 1-9.

RINGTONS: A TRUE FAMILY BUSINESS


Ringtons Tea began in 1907 when Samuel Smith decided to set up his own business
making deliveries of tea by horse and cart. The business grew steadily and in the 1920s
he bought his first motorised vehicles. When Samuel finally died in 1949, his sons took
over the business.
The current chairman is Nigel Smith, great-grandson of the original founder, and all the
shareholders are descended from Samuel Smith and his wife. There are, however, other
families who work in Ringtons. Paul I lodgson, the catering department manager, started
with Ringtons1 as a van driver and has been with them for over 25 years. This loyalty to
the company is quite common.
Ringtons1 culture is closely tied up with its identity as a family business. In 1997, Nigel
Smith went on a family leadership course in Switzerland and. as a result, produced the
company’s mission statement. The first aim is ‘to be a strong and united family . The
biggest advantage of family businesses, according to Mr Smith, is that they are not just
focussed on immediate profit. They can invest in education for family members knowing
that the company will benefit later. Their traditions give them a permanency whereas
other businesses often follow the latest fashion.
Nigel Smith believes that his successor will need different skills than he had when he
started the job. But as there are over 25 members of the new generation, his problem will
not be a shortage of candidates. Rather, his concern will be to make sure that he picks the
right one for this important post. But he is not anxious. There will be plentv of lime to
decide, as he plans to remain chairman for some time yet.

Example: The company was started by a salesman called Mr Rington.


A Right B Wrong c Doesn't say
1 Ringtons was the first company in the area to use motorised vehicles.
A Right B Wrong c Doesn’t say
2 All Ringtons’ shareholders are related to the founder of the company.
A Right B Wrong c Doesn’t say
3 Paul Hodgson has not worked with any other company.
A Right B Wrong c Doesn’t say
4 Nigel Smith wrote the mission statement in Switzerland.
A Right B Wrong c Doesn’t say
5 Nigel Smith believes that a future chairman will need a smaller range of skills.
A Right B Wrong c Doesn’t say
6 Some of the new generation are already working for Ringtons.
A Right B Wrong c Doesn’t say
For questions 7-9, choose the correct answer A, B or c.
7 The article mentions Paul Hodgson in order to show ...........
A the level of personal customer service in the company.
B the employees’ strong attachment to the company.
c the possibilities for promotion in the company.

8 According to Nigel Smith, what is the main advantage of family businesses? ........
A They take a long-term view.
B They keep up with business trends.
c They often start to make a profit quickly.

9 What is Nigel Smith’s main concern about his replacement? ..........


A There will not be enough good candidates.
B It may be difficult to choose the right person.
c They will need very different skills from his own.

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