Another reason John is against buying a house is that he doesn’t have confidence in his new company.

It is no longer growing as fast as it used to.

Though the management talks about a bright future, he has doubts.

They say great things to keep everyone motivated, but he doesn’t trust them.

When he does a SWOT analysis of the company, he is even more concerned.

SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

The company's strength is based on technology that is very competitive.

But technology changes fast, and what’s good now will soon be out of date.

Continuous innovation is necessary.

In the SWOT acronym, the O stands for opportunities.

Question:

— What is lacking at his company?

— continuous innovation

Put the sentences below in order:

(1) It is no longer growing as fast as it used to.

(2) Though the management talks about a bright future, he has doubts.

(3) Another reason John is against buying a house is that he doesn’t have confidence in his new company.

(4) When he does a SWOT analysis of the company, he is even more concerned.

(5) They say great things to keep everyone motivated, but he doesn’t trust them.

Correct Order:(3) (1) (2) (5) (4)

The company’s weakness is that it hasn’t developed an alternative to what it has now.

Nobody is working on the next generation.

There are already signs that their technology is nearing the end of its life cycle.

There are still opportunities if the company is willing to hire new people or acquire a company with new technology.

The main threat is that other companies are spending more on research and development.

Exercise:

1. The company still has opportunities if it takes steps to acquire new technology.

So, based on his analysis, the company is okay for the next year or two.

But beyond that, its future is questionable.

As a result, John doesn’t want to buy a house now and take on a huge debt.

Until he has more confidence in his situation, he doesn’t want to take the risk.

If he would to buy a house now, it would mean taking on a huge debt.

Question:

— Based on his analysis, what is the company's long-term future?

— It's questionable.

His wife thinks he’s too conservative.

She has waited long enough, and she doesn’t want to wait any longer.

So John’s dilemma is how to balance his wife’s happiness against the risk of losing a lot of money.

One thing for sure is that she isn’t happy as things stand now.

She’s been waiting for a long time and he loves her.

So the decision seems clear.

John knows exactly what to do.

Maybe some flowers and a celebration?

Question:

— What is John's dilemma?

— He has to decide between his wife's happiness and the risk of losing money.

Repeat & Read Sentences:

1. Though the management talks about a bright future, he has doubts.

2. His wife thinks he’s too conservative.

3. If he were to buy a house now, it would mean taking on a huge debt.

4. His dilemma is how to balance his wife’s happiness against the risk of losing a lot of money.

5. Another reason John is against buying a house is that he doesn’t have confidence in his new company.