昨天聽幾個哈佛大學商學院教授的 Podcast，講 Covid-19 對美國公司的影響還有他們觀察到的一些社會現象

教授們口條都很好，我聽一聽好羨慕啊

此刻要我用英文流利講出疫情對產業的影響，還要需要鍛鍊

當然這不只是語言問題，同樣題目用中文講也不容易
所以我要給自己類似的挑戰

我一直對公司運作跟策略有關的文章比較有興趣，所以我從《經濟學人》 (The Economist)找一些主題是關於疫情對公司影響及因應對策的文章，並挑出我有fu的 terms

我要用這些 terms 當成主架構，用英文寫一段疫情對公司運作影響的想法

我特地選我已經知道，但是在文章裡組合出新用法的字，這樣應該比較好駕馭XD

1. Expose the weakness/true color: 凸顯出弱點/真實樣貌

這裡是說公司在疫情時會曝露本性，不管好的壞的
很像中文的 「潮水退了才知道誰在裸泳」

2. Weather the pandemic: 處理疫情

weather 指的是有能力處理一個麻煩的狀況

我覺得這個字用的好生動呢
確實天氣千變萬化，有能力控制天氣大概甚麼問題都可以解決了，所以我一秒記住這個用法XD

3. Be (financially) resilient against the pandemic: 面對疫情擁有經營韌性

resilience 用在生活中很常講心裡的韌性，不過用在公司經營是指在艱困時期公司有沒有好的體質可以撐過難關

4. Turning point: 轉折點

對很多公司來說這是一個轉機，不管是抓住新機會，導入新的運作模式，或是淘汰掉不夠賺錢的業務

5. Miss the boat: 因為動作太慢錯失機會

在文章裡指的是一些公司來不及推出 streaming service (串流服務)，所以錯失這次 lockdown (封城) 大家被迫待在家裡而生的娛樂商機，像是追劇、玩遊戲等等

6. Bread-and-butter business: 公司主要賴以獲利的業務

老實說就是在講 main business (主要產品)，但經濟學人喜歡用花俏的字哈哈

不過這個字很生動，我也是一下就記起來，因為奶油跟麵包 (bread and butter)  西方人幾乎天天吃，衍生出來就是指核心的東西

以下是我的寫作練習：

I would share my thoughts on the impact of Covid-19 on companies in the following paragraphs.
First, the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the true color of many companies. How a company communicates with their customers during the downturn reveals their core values. Some people complained that customer emails from the companies hit hard by the pandemic lacked honesty and came from a selfish place. Yet I’ve come across a good one written by the founder of AirAsia. The founder clearly stated their long-term vision, the current challenges, and the corresponding tactical decisions in a recent email sent to customers. And most importantly, he gave a firm pledge to work tirelessly on customer refund plans.
The email was to propose alternative plans to customers applying for refund, yet this turned out to build a strong brand image for AirAsia.
Second, the virus has disrupted supply chains. In order to weather the pandemic, companies are forced to diversify suppliers or even to detect slack in supply chains and partner with other businesses.
One good example is Amazon. Unlike most big companies not able to pivot with agility, Amazon is surprisingly nimble as a huge company to tweak its supply chains at a dramatic speed. It quickly shut down business associated with the non-consumer staples after the outbreak in order to support shipments of essential goods and medical supplies.
Third, for companies which are financially resilient against the pandemic, it’s a good turning point to upgrade the internal systems or equipment. For example, companies may introduce automation to the factory and therefore the factory is able to function with skeletal staff. And while the immediate concern is survival for many companies at this moment, companies with financial competence should not miss the boat on potential business opportunities. Big companies could acquire small businesses having competitive products but are struggling with being short on cash.
On the other hand, for companies not having financial resilience, securing their bread-and-butter business should be the top priority during the hard times.

寫完了！

有點難寫，程度距離哈佛教授的等級也還很遠，但踏出一步還是很有成就感!!

下個挑戰是：同樣的題目，但是要用英文講，練一練下禮拜再錄起來吧
想想就很抖，所以接下來幾天我沒事又要開始對著空氣碎碎念了XD

今天先分享到這裡囉！