All Listening Exercises
C2 — Masterycomprehension

Executive Briefing: Quarterly Results

Listen to the passage, then answer the questions below

Read the transcript

Try listening first, then use the text to check what you heard. Audio uses a computer-generated voice.

CEO: Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. I'll keep my remarks brief so we have plenty of time for questions. Revenue for the quarter came in at four hundred and twelve million dollars, up six percent year on year, which is at the lower end of the range we guided to in April. Our subscription business continues to be the bright spot, growing eighteen percent, and it now accounts for just over a third of total revenue. Hardware, on the other hand, declined nine percent, reflecting weaker consumer demand and, candidly, a product launch that did not land as well as we had hoped. Operating margin was eleven percent, down from thirteen, largely because of one-off restructuring costs in Europe. Excluding those, margin would have been broadly flat. Looking ahead, we are maintaining our full-year guidance, though I would say we now expect to finish in the lower half of that range. With that, I'll open it up. Analyst: Thanks. You mentioned the launch didn't land as hoped. Can you be more specific — was it pricing, the product itself, or timing? CEO: I think it would be fair to say it was a combination. We priced it for a market that had cooled by the time it shipped. We've since adjusted pricing in two regions and we're seeing early signs of improvement, although it's too soon to draw firm conclusions. Analyst: A follow-up on Europe. Are the restructuring costs now behind you, or should we expect more? CEO: The bulk of them, yes. There may be some residual costs in the next quarter, but nothing on the scale you saw this time. Analyst: And the subscription growth — is eighteen percent sustainable? CEO: I'd be cautious about extrapolating any single quarter. What I can say is that customer retention is at a record high, and that's the metric we watch most closely.

1. How did revenue compare with the company's earlier guidance?

2. What proportion of total revenue does the subscription business now represent?

3. According to the CEO, why did operating margin fall?

4. What does the CEO's comment about full-year guidance imply?

5. According to the CEO, why did the product launch disappoint?

6. What does the phrase 'it's too soon to draw firm conclusions' show about the CEO's language?

7. What does the CEO say about future restructuring costs?

8. How does the CEO answer the question about whether 18% subscription growth is sustainable?