Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Why Do Competitors Open Their Stores Next to One Another?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you ever wonder why you see competing shops in one crowded spot? Is it a matter of keep-your-enemies-closer strategy or an efficient spatial competition? Find out below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Please explain Hotelling’s Law.
  2. If you were to put up your own business, what would it be? How would you apply Hotelling’s Law to find a location for your business?
  3. Give some examples of product differentiation.
  4. What are some booming businesses in Spain nowadays?

Hair Dyes and Straighteners Linked to Higher Cancer Risk

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Whether fine, thick, long, short, curly, or straight, your hair deserves respect. It is our crowning glory, so it deserves much care and attention. Just be careful with the products that we use as some of them are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Caveat emptor.

https://www.ecowatch.com/hair-dye-chemicals-cancer-risk-2641588380.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you think this study can impact society?
  2. How do you take care of your hair?
  3. Should hair dyes and straighteners be banned from the market?
  4. How in demand are hair grooming products in your country?

When Advertisers Track Emojis

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Online targeted advertising is nothing new. Advertisers have been using demographics like gender, age, political affiliation, and location to deliver what they consider as relevant ads to the netizens. The folks at Twitter, however, decided to innovate and offer advertisers information about their users’ emotional states through the emojis that they post.

Should this be a matter for concern? Watch the video below and judge for yourself.

Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the video, what is a targeted ad?
  2. What do you think about Twitter giving advertisers access to emoji data?
  3. How does an emoji differ from an emoticon? Which was introduced first to the public?
  4. What three emojis do you use most often?
  5. Give examples of emojis that have an emotional context attached to them. Which emojis come across as positive, negative, or neutral? Which emojis do you feel tend to be ambiguous?
  6. Do you follow any politicians on Twitter? In your country, does the use of Twitter by government officials impact public opinion?
  7. Is it harmless to let a faceless advertiser know how you’re feeling?
  8. A Pew Research Center survey revealed that 51% of US adults are not confident that social media sites protect user data. What do you think about this in the context of data protection practices in your country?
  9. Would you like other social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook to follow Twitter’s lead and use emojis in their targeted advertising?
  10. Can you live without emojis?

The Lesson That Kobe Bryant’s Death Is Teaching Us

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Everybody was shocked upon hearing the news of the passing of Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time last Sunday, January 26, 2020 along with 8 others including his 13-year-old daughter Gigi. It brought a shockwave throughout the world as his death is very untimely. He was only 41 and was heading to a basketball tournament when his chopper crashed in the hillside of Calabasas, California.

People who knew him and those who were a fan of his had one thing in common to relish upon remembering the legendary athlete – that he is an inspiration to this generation and the future ones. His death has a great impact on sports and the world.

https://blavity.com/the-lesson-that-kobe-bryants-death-is-teaching-us?category1=opinion

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to the death of Kobe Bryant?
  2. Why did his death shock the world?
  3. What made him legendary?
  4. What is the life lesson we learn from his untimely death?
  5. How would you define life and death?

Could You Give Up Booze for a Month?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Holidays mean fun and celebration and what is a celebration without alcohol? Alcohol drinking has been associated with festivities and people tend to have one too many drinks during these occasions because they are allowed to.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript from the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-200116

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is it called a ‘dry January’ according to the podcast?

2. Do you like drinking alcohol? Are you a regular drinker or a social drinker?

3. What are the merits and downsides of drinking alcohol?

4. What is a ‘hangover’? Have you experienced it in the past?

5. What is ‘binge-drinking’? How can it be prevented?

The Key to Effective Business Coaching

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Coaching and developing talents is one skill that has become imperative for managers to have. Managers and businesses alike recognize the benefits of having managers that are equipped with this skill.

Read this article and know the keys to effective coaching.

https://www.forbes.com/2010/04/28/coaching-talent-development-leadership-managing-ccl.html#66efc69338e0

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the purpose of coaching?
  2. Talk about all 5 categories mentioned in the article. Share your thoughts for each point.
  3. How else can a manager implement effective coaching?
  4. What’s the coaching process like in your company? What’s good about them? How can they be improved?
  5. What is your manager like?

Cyber Security for the Rich and Famous

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Smartphones are used a little too much these days – from dating to traffic updates, accessing bank accounts, among others. However, the problem is that there is no perfect control against cyber attacks even rich and high-profile individuals are vulnerable.

Let’s read more about cybersecurity through this article:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/25/tech/bezos-amazon-cybersecurity/index.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is cyber security important?

2. Do you turn on automatic updates on your smartphones?

3. How often do you change your passwords? How do you make sure your passwords are protected?

4. What are the risks associated with using public wi-fi?

5. Give some tips for protecting yourself against identity theft.

Scarcity Marketing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

FOMO is an internet slang that stands for ‘fear of missing out’. It’s one of the most fundamental instincts people have and this is what businesses capitalize on as a tactic in order to create artificial scarcity so their products would be of greater value to consumers.

Watch this video to learn more about scarcity marketing and consumer theory.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is scarcity marketing and how does it work?
  2. What’s your impression of this marketing strategy?
  3. Why do you think this works?
  4. Talk about advertisements/brands that use this marketing strategy.
  5. What other marketing trick do you know of?

Testing the World’s Longest Flight

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Some 40 passengers and 10 crew members took a flight for about a 20-hour flight from New York City to Sydney. This flight was a test to find out how long-haul flights such as this could affect the human body. Once investors are convinced and policymakers approve, Qantas Airways aims to offer this route in the future.

Watch this video to know how it’s like to be on what might be the world’s longest flight.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this kind of flight?
  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of long-haul flights?
  3. Talk about the longest flight you’ve ever been on. How was it like? How could it be improved?

Travel Tips

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Samantha Brown has made a career out of globetrotting. The American television host has been known to draw from her wealth of experience on the subject of travel and sharing ideas on how to get the best out of each journey.

In the video that follows, she gives us some travel tips.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What places have you traveled to locally? Where have you gone on holidays overseas?
  2. What are possible motivations for taking trips?
  3. Samantha Brown talks about creating travel rituals. Do you have any of your own?
  4. What are the best things about being in another country for the first time?
  5. What do you think about Brown’s travel tips?
  6. What are your own suggestions for an enjoyable excursion?
  7. What do you think are the best words or phrases to know in a local language to get by in another country?