No.2 Growing the company

 Part A: SAP competes with 'organic growth'
  (Business in the future is not business in an enterprise, it's business in an ecosystem)

String of words：

1. at the top of the heap in somewhere: 

          e.g. How do you stay at the top of the heap in the business software game?

2. have a direct dig at sb. : 挖苦，讽刺

          e.g. He couldn't resist having a dig at the referee.

          couldn't  resist (doing) sth. : cannot stop doing sth. that  you want  to do or having sth that you like very much.

3.  in much the same way as... : 很大程度和...类似  

           e.g. ESA is basically a platform that will allow SAP to provide consistant business services around it, in much the same way as Microsoft has built applications around it successful operating systems.

PS：

• organic growth: If a company experiences organic growth, it develops its own business instead of buying other companies. (公司的)内生增长，有机增长

          e.g. Our future development will be achieved by organic growth rather than acquisitions of other companies.

• squarely: completely and with no doubt

          e.g. The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the police.

  Part B: Mergers and acquisitions
   (The's world's 2nd largest business software applications provider, took over peoplesoft)

String of words：

1. be saddened by sth.

          e.g. He was deeply saddened by this outcome that his company would be acquired by Oracle.

2. under such trying circumstances: annoying and difficult.

          e.g. We've come so far under such trying circumstances over the past eighteen months.

3. gain significant momentum: 获得了良好的发展势头

          e.g. The campaign has been gaining significant momentum ever since the television appeal.  

4. It is to someone that i offer my apologies for sth.

          e.g. It is to this last group that i offer my sincerest apologies for not figuring out a different conclusion to our 18-month saga.

          saga: a long complicated series of related, usually negative, events.

5. with (one's) head held high: displaying pride and confidence, often (but not always) after something has gone wrong.

          e.g. Even though I knew I blew the presentation, I walked out of the conference room with my head held high and then cried in my car.

6. do it with class: 把事情做的卓越，优秀，漂亮，让人钦佩没话说

          e.g. PeopleSoft and the people at PeopleSoft have built their reputation as a company with class.

PS：

• independent director（独立董事）,是指独立于公司股东且不在公司中内部任职，并与公司或公司经营管理者没有重要的业务联系或专业联系，对公司事务做出独立判断的董事

• Individual Shareholder(自然人股东)，是具有公民身份的个人投资者，在他进行公司的投资以后通过公司所在地的工商局注册，进行公司股权登记，就成为自然人股东。
• Corporate Shareholder(法人股东)，亦称单位股东，是指以公司或集团(机构)名义占有其他企业股份的股东。

  Part C: Organisational culture
   (A general consensus on four different types of organisational cultures)

String of words：

1. breakneck: carelessly fast and dangerous.

          e.g. They were riding along at a breakneck speed.

2. work at a high tempo

          e.g. Stock brokers which need to react quickly to changing circumstances and to work at a high tempo.

3. devolve responsibility to someone: to give responsibility to someone at a lower or more local level.

          e.g. Macho culture devolves a lot of responsibility to the individual and emphasises decisions that affect the present rather than the future.

4. with plodding and bureaucracy: 行尸走肉，官僚化严重

          e.g. Strategy and direction seem to take second place to organisation and so they are  often, maybe unfair, associated with plodding and bureaucracy.

          plod: to work slowly and continuously, but without imagination, enthusiasm, or interest.

PS：

• Work hard, play hard culture

          A culture that embraces long hours of work followed by social and leisure activities at the expensive of rest and relaxation.

          This is something most likely to be seen in a very large company which is dependant on strong customer service. This type of organizational culture is often characterized by multiple team meetings, specialized jargon, and buzzwords.

• Tough-guy macho culture 

          From a corporate stand point, this type of organizational culture will be most often associated with really fast financial activities, such as currency trading, and brokerage. This can also apply to organizations such as a police force, or an individual athlete on a sports team. If a receiver catches a touchdown pass, you see the impact right away. This tends to be a stressful type of organizational culture that requires a certain mentality to thrive and succeed.

          touchdown: 橄榄球赛中持球过球门线得分

• Process culture

          A process culture is most often fold in organizations where there is actually no feedback. This is rarely a good culture. In this type of a organizational culture people are so obsessed with the process of how things are done that the focus is lost on what the goal is. Process organizational culture is a synonym for bureaucracy. These cultures are overly cautious, obsessed with the letter of the law as opposed to the idea of the law. The only positive argument for this culture is that the consistency of results makes it good for public services.

          fold A into B: 把A纳入B

• Bet-the company culture 

          This is a type of company where huge decisions are made over high stakes endeavors. In this type of culture, the end results of these decisions may not be seen for months or even years. The most common type of company that would have this type of a culture is one that is involved in experimental projects or searches. Two great examples would be like prospecting for new oil fields and designing experimental military weapons.

          have a stake in sth: 对…有强烈的兴趣；与…有利害关系

*All pictures are from Google, plz contact me if any violations found then i'll delete it.