Your friend's company is hiring a lot of new employees. You're surprised because the economy is bad now. You're discussing it with him over lunch. You respond:
That seems pretty risky, given the current economic climate.
You've been trying to sell your house for the past 11 months. You're frustrated about it. Now you're talking to your friend about this problem. You say:
It's been on the market for nearly a year now, but we still have nothing to show for it.
business, companies, complaining, house, idioms, perfect aspect, real estate, result, selling, set phrase, time 
You have had a bad experience when you called your cable TV provider to get help with a problem. You're on an Internet forum where people are discussing their experiences with cable companies. You write:
Time Warner Cable's customer service leaves much to be desired.
companies, customer, formal, service, set phrase, understatement On your lunch break at work, you're talking with a coworker about one of your company's competitors which is hiring a lot of new employees. Your coworker is worried about this competitor, but you aren't. You've just said "They've certainly added a lot of staff recently." Now you continue your thought:
Whether they're growing in terms of revenue, I'm not so sure.
During your lunch break at work, you're chatting with a coworker about one of your company's competitors. Your coworker is worried about the competitor and mentions that they are getting bigger. You're not as worried about them, but you do agree that the competitor has added more staff. You say:
Yeah, well they've certainly added a lot of staff recently.
You're talking about a recent announcement that Starbucks is going to offer free Internet access to all customers. You think it's a good idea for them, and now you're talking to your husband and explaining why:
That's going to attract a lot of new customers.
You read a news story about Starbucks Coffee offering free Internet access at their stores. You're discussing the story with your husband. You think that this change will bring a lot of new customers to Starbucks. You say:
That's a good move on their part.
You're reading a news story that says that Starbucks Coffee stores will allow all their customers to use wireless Internet for free at their stores. While you're reading the story, you share the news with your husband. After getting his attention, you say:
Starbucks announced that they're going to offer free Internet access at all their locations.
To "announce" something means to let people know about it publically. Companies often "announce" things like new products, changes in their policies, good news about their sales, and so on:
The company announced plans to close factories and drop unprofitable product lines.
Companies can "announce" things in writing (with a "press release") or in a public presentation (a "press conference")
You use "going to ___" to talk about what will happen in the future. "Going to ___" is more natural than "will" for most situations where you're expressing someone's plans to do something:
They're going to meet us at the airport.
I'm just going to stay home and relax this weekend.
If you want to give or sell something to people, you first need to tell people that you will give it to them or ask if they want it. This is called "offering" something.
You usually use the word "offer" when the things you're giving or selling are good or exciting:
We're offering 20% off everything in the store, this weekend only.
"Internet access" is the phrase that we use to describe the ability to connect to the Internet. It also explains the services that people use to connect to the Internet:
How much do you pay per month for Internet access in France?
A store or restaurant company that has lots of stores in different places is called a "chain". Each store in the chain is called a "location". For example a representative from such a company could say:
We have over 300 locations across the U.S. and Canada.
You use the word "location" in this way when you're talking about the company as a business. In everyday life, when you want to talk about one store or restaurant in a chain, you just call it a "store" or a "restaurant".
Internet, access, announcements, companies, future You're writing a report about a company. You're introducing the company and need to say when it was started. You write:
The company was established in Silicon Valley in 1983.
You are writing a report about a company. This company sells products that a lot of other companies also sell. You are introducing the company. You write:
The fast food market in the U.S. is highly competitive.
adjective, adverb, business, companies, industries, intensifier, marketing, report, restaurants, work 