Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. pursue (v.) [per-soo] – to try to reach a goal over some time
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. pursue (v.) [per-soo] – to try to reach a goal over some time
Example: He studied very hard to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.
2. certified (adj.) [sur-tuh-fahyd] – having
the authority to perform a certain task
Example: Doctors should be certified before they can work in hospitals.
3. charge (v.) [chahrj] – to ask
for payment
Example: The store charged him twenty dollars for shoes.
4. inquiry (n.) [in-kwahyuhr-ee] – a
question
Example: The University now accepts inquiries for next semester’s
enrollment.
5. secondhand (adj.) [sek-uhnd-hand] – previously
used by another person
Example: Secondhand
phones cost less because they are already used.
Article
Read the text below.
At 25 years old, Taichi Murakami is the youngest person to head a company included in the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Mothers market. His company, Livesense Inc., was added to the list on December 7, 2011, after his years of hard work.
According
to the young entrepreneur, it was his childhood dream to become a company
president. He pursued this dream early
on, managing to get himself certified
in bookkeeping in his high school years.
In
2005, he won a business plan contest sponsored by the Daiwa Institute of
Research. His winning concept was later used to create the Internet-based
service Livesense in 2006. Murakami was just a freshman then at Waseda
University.
Livesense’s
first service, started by Murakami at 19, was “Jobsense”, a website where
people could search for part-time job offers. Typically, businesses are
charged fees to post their information on web advertisements, but Jobsense
only collected fees when people sent inquiries
and other responses to the ads. The
idea was not new, Murakami says, but Livesense profited because of its good
web marketing techniques and well-developed services.
Since
then, Livesense has expanded to web services such as selling secondhand cars and other properties.
Murakami’s
love for his work paid off by the end of 2010, as the company generated a net
profit of ¥100 million. The company is also performing well on the stock
market, starting at ¥1800 per stock on its first trading day, and reaching
values above ¥2,500 in early 2012.
With
his success, Murakami hopes to set an example and inspire younger generations
to start their own businesses.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do
you think there is a difference in the way young people and older people run a
company? How would they be similar or different?
·
Would
you like to work for a company where the president is younger than you? Why or
why not?
Discussion B
·
What
do you think are the factors that make businessmen or businesswomen successful?
·
If
you could start your own business, what kind of business would you do? Why?