Twitter China Executive Resigns

March 2, 2017

Unlocking Word Meanings
今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1.  take charge of / teɪk tʃɑrdʒ ʌv / (idiom) – to have control of something
Example: She took charge of the department after the previous manager left.

2.  audience / ˈɔ di əns / (n.) – a group of people who read, watch, or subscribe to something
Example: The company targets teenagers as the advertisement’s audience.

3. depart / dɪˈpɑrt / (v.) – to leave
Example: The team was saddened when she departed from the company.

4.  executive / ɪgˈzɛk yə tɪv / (n.) – a person with high authority in a company
Example: She became an executive after ten years in the company.

5.  terminate / ˈtɜr məˌneɪt / (v.) – to remove someone from a job
Example: She was terminated due to severe offenses.

Article
ニュース記事

Read the text below.
Kathy Chen, the head of Twitter’s China operations, stepped down after staying with the company for only eight months.

Chen, who previously worked at technology giants Microsoft and Cisco, was hired in April 2016 to take charge of Twitter China. Since 2009, citizens in China have not been allowed to use or access the social networking site because the government believes that foreign social media sites are a source of fake news and cyberterrorism. However, in 2015, Twitter offered its services to private Chinese companies and businesses through a Hong Kong-based office.

At present, the social networking site is widely used by Chinese companies and advertisers to reach audiences overseas. Chen said that in the last two years, Twitter saw a 400% growth in sales among Chinese advertisers. After this success, Chen announced her plan to depart from the company. She believes that it is time for her to leave now that Twitter has developed a good working relationship with Chinese advertisers.

Chen has joined the growing list of high-level executives to leave Twitter recently. Late last year, executives who also stepped down include Twitter’s chief technology officer, chief operating officer, vice president of product, and vice president of ad sales.

Despite its growth in China, Twitter has experienced challenges in operations in the last few years. The company is expected to terminate employees from its offices around the world to cut down costs, after announcing in October last year that it will reduce its global workforce by 9%. The company also had to deal with criticism for harassment and abuse allegedly happening on its site.


Viewpoint Discussion
ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         In your opinion, how would the resignation of executives affect Twitter?
·         When a company restructures and opens new roles, would it be better to hire new employees or train available employees for these roles? Explain your answer.

Discussion B

·         Why do some companies start losing money? Enumerate.
·         Other than terminating employees, in what ways can companies prevent losses?

March 2, 2017