Present Perfect: My Business Achievements
Present perfect is a form of verb that allows you to express the events and actions that have happened in the past, with results affecting the present or the future. In Business English, this tense can be used to speak about achievements and experiences. The word perfect means complete, showing that the action started in the past and finished in the past.
Example
Lotus Ltd.
Lotus Ltd has been a successful company in international trading. Among other international trading companies in Europe, Lotus has been dubbed the best supplier in Europe. The company has supplied plant spare parts to 120 plants in more than 15 countries. Jack Bender, company’s marketing manager, has expanded sales to 2 other countries recently. Bender has planned to expand sales to 30 countries in 5 years and the board has agreed to capital raise to support plans of expansion.
Adding Details
Although this tense does not allow the use of specific time, some words can be used to give more information about the event. Below are some words and phrases which can be used with present perfect.
Example
Example: Jack has worked in Lotus since 2010. He has worked there for 9 years.
Paraphrase: Jack started working in Lotus in 2010 and he is still working there.
Example: Lawrence has been selected as company CEO for the third time.
Paraphrase: Lawrence was selected as the CEO twice. He is the CEO again.
Example: The Board meeting hast just finished.
Paraphrase: The board meeting finished right now.
Example: The board has already accepted Becket’s suggestion to raise company capital.
Paraphrase: The board accepted the suggestion to raise the capital.
Example: The company hasn’t officially declared the capital raise yet.
Paraphrase: At this moment, the public doesn’t know about the capital raise.
Present Perfect or Simple Past?
As you can see from paraphrases, present perfect and past simple can be used interchangeably to talk about the past. However, you should be careful not to mix up the rules to each tense. Therefore, before you form your sentences, consider these two conditions:
- If the time of the event or action is important, use simple past and mention the exact time.
- If you want to emphasize on the importance of the action or event and its effect on the present time, use present perfect.
Real-world Example: Sanofi
The link below shows how Sanofi talks about important health issues and uses present perfect to talk about its social responsibilities:
https://www.sanofi.com/en/about-us/our-responsibilities-for-future/our-values-and-commitments
Task 1
Read the information the World EconomicForum provides about its commitment to sustainability.
A. Find present perfect examples and add the verbs to your vocabulary list.
B. Write a summary about the information provided in the link.
https://www.weforum.org/about/sustainability-world-economic-forum
