Business Spotlight 08.2019

12 Business Spotlight 6/2019 WORKING WORLD

Property developers and estate agents have a common goal: to

sell houses and flats. But how do you tempt potential buyers

if the property hasn’t been built yet? Increasingly, developers

are turning to computer-generated images (CGI) produced by

companies that turn architectural specifications into lifelike de-

pictions of indoor and outdoor views.

The reliability of such images is in question, however. In

2018, for example, one UK developer removed a mosque from

its advertising images of new homes. But Anna Parry, a partner

at Hayes Davidson, a CGI studio in London, says that such dra-

matic exclusions are the exception rather than the rule, although

she admits that her company has removed rubbish from street

scenes, as well as deleting cranes or “completing” unfinished

buildings on nearby properties.

Developers are willing to pay premium prices for exception-

al CGI work, according to Giles Stevens of Elysian Residences,

which pays between £3,000 (about €3,400) and £5,000 (about

€5,600) for a single image. “Creating an inspiring and beautiful

image of what we are building is crucial,” Stevens explains. “If

you cannot sell the units at the end of the day, then the whole

purpose of property development does not make sense,” he told

the Financial Times.

BRITAIN

Picture this!

ADVANCED

crane [kreɪn]

, Kran

crucial

[ˈkruːʃ&l]

, ausschlaggebend

delete sth.

[diˈliːt]

, etw. löschen

depiction

[diˈpIkS&n]

, Darstellung, Abbildung

estate agent

[ɪˈsteɪt ˌeɪdʒənt] UK

, Immobilienmakler(in)

mosque [mɒsk]

, Moschee

picture sth.

[ˈpɪktʃə]

, etw. abbilden;

auch: sich etw. vorstellen

property developer

[ˈprɒpəti di)veləpə]

, Bauträger(in)

rubbish

[ˈrʌbɪʃ] UK

, Müll

tempt sb. [tempt]

, jmdn. (ver)locken

unit [ˈjuːnɪt]

, Einheit;

hier: Immobilien

US farm imports to China dropped from $25 billion in 2017

to $13 billion in 2018. The decrease is a result of the US–

China trade war. China is currently buying most of its

soybeans from Brazil rather than the US.

Source: Financial Times

Up and down MEDIUM

Tourism in Africa is up by 11 per cent, part of a worldwide

trend, according to the World Tourism Barometer, which

is produced by the UN’s World Tourism Organization

(UNWTO). The organization says that the positive number

is a result of economic recovery in North Africa.

Source: “UNWTO World Tourism Barometer”

(https://marketintelligence.unwto.org/content/

unwto-world-tourism-barometer)

UP

DOWN

billion [ˈbɪljən]

, Milliarde(n)

soybean [ˈsɔɪbiːn]

, Sojabohne

This is the percen-

tage of new employ-

ees in the US who

said that their job

did not match the ex-

pectations they had

after they were inter-

viewed. For example,

the new hires said

their responsibilities

differed from what

was discussed in in-

terviews, or that the

company culture was

different from what

Sources:zine; Glassdoor job-search website Fast Company maga- they had expected.

(www.glassdoor.com)

new hire [)njuː (haɪE] US

, neue(r) Mitarbeiter(in)

61 %

CGI image:

lifelike scene