Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Why McDonald’s Failed In Iceland?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

McDonald’s famous golden arches seem ubiquitous the world over, but in one European country, it eventually closed shop. What led to the fast-food giant’s downfall in this part of the world? Will it make a comeback?

The video that follows provides, pardon the pun, food for thought.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you like fast food fare? Why or why not?
  2. Which fast-food restaurants thrive in your country? What do you think contributed to their success?
  3. What restaurant franchises failed to gain a foothold where you live? Why do you think this happened?

Internship – Exploitation or Experience?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

College students need to find the balance between work, friends, family, and academic deadlines. With all these overwhelming tasks and pressure, the significance of having a substantial internship experience can be overlooked.

Let’s listen to the podcast and find out more about internship, its significance, and the issues surrounding it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-191017

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is an internship? Did you have an internship as a college student?
  2. How important is an internship?
  3. What is your opinion on the unpaid nature of internship programs? Do you think it is fair to work for free?

Importance of Diversity in the Workplace

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Diversity in the workplace can create a better company. It shows what employees from different backgrounds can actually do and its impact on the company in both financial and cultural aspects. They have the opportunity to learn from one another to have a more effective workplace.

Watch the video explaining the importance of diversity in the workplace.

Discussion Questions :

  1. What is the importance of diversity at work?
  2. What is your opinion about different backgrounds and cultures at work?
  3. How is a greater diversity of workers has been impacting businesses?
  4. What conflicts or problems might arise in working with different cultures in the office?
  5. How can working with people from different cultures be applied to a situation in your past/present work?

Little Things That Affect Our Work Relationships

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The workplace is a professional environment so no matter who you work with, you want to maintain a certain level of professionalism.

Coworker relationships involve a series of “micromoves” which are “small actions or behaviors that seem inconsequential at the moment but affect how we relate to one another”.

In this article, we look at how we can preserve our working relationship.

The Little Things That Affect Our Work Relationships

Discussion Questions:

  1. Describe your relationships at work.
  2. How do you fix a bad working relationship?
  3. What are the factors to having good relationships at work?

Forever 21’s Downfall and Bankruptcy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Forever 21 made billions in revenue and was one of the fastest-growing fashion empires. Now, the owners have filed for bankruptcy after struggling to keep up with the rise of e-commerce. As one of the largest occupants of American shopping centers, a massive shutdown of Forever 21’s stores could aggravate the ongoing retail apocalypse.

Watch the video about how Forever 21’s success and downfall.

Discussion Questions:

1. In your opinion, where did Forever 21 go wrong?

2. What can filing for bankruptcy do to a company? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

3. In your opinion, what can the retailers do to save Forever 21?

4. What can Forever 21’s bankruptcy mean for the future of fast fashion?

5. Talk about some of the most popular fashion companies in your country?

Children’s Allowances

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Some parents now take a different tack when giving their children an allowance, making it an early form of financial literacy. They hope their kids will use the money they’ve been given responsibly and set aside a fair sum for the rainy days.

Let’s take a closer look at how parents get their money’s worth by reading the article below.

https://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/childrens-allowances-getting-your-moneys-worth/

Discussion Questions:

  1. When you were a child, what was considered a reasonable allowance? How did you spend this amount and did you have some amount left for savings?
  2. What is the average allowance given to children in your country nowadays? What factors do parents consider in figuring out the right amount?
  3. How are children expected to spend their allowances?
  4. What values do parents hope their children will exhibit in terms of how they use the money entrusted to them?
  5. Imagine explaining financial management to a child. How would you go about it?

Are You Good at Complaining?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It has been said that complaining, to a certain degree, has some stress-relieving benefits. Being able to voice out your frustrations in small doses can appease one’s anger. For some, complaining comes naturally. For others, complaining just isn’t their nature.

Listen to this podcast and be ready to talk about people’s willingness to air displeasure.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-191003

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you often complain when you feel that you were wronged or you did not get your money’s worth? Talk about your experiences filing complaints.

2. What good does complaining do?

3. According to the podcast, what are the most used methods for complaining?

4. Why do people resort to modern methods such as social media platforms to voice out their complaints?

5. What do you usually to get what you want?

Consumerism

B2 – Upper intermediate

Have you ever wondered how we’ve been consuming so much or wanting to buy more than our bare necessities? This contributes too much to environmental destruction like pollution, degradation, etc. We are at an alarming rate of consuming resources in which our planet isn’t able to replenish.

Please see the video below:

Discussion Questions:

  1. Describe the video.
  2. What is consumerism and how did the consumerist culture start?
  3. How do commercials influence people’s buying behavior?
  4. How does consumerism affect society? How does it affect you?
  5. What can we do to reduce our consumption?

Alpha Male

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There is no shortage of definitions of alpha males. Film and book protagonists are usually alpha male inspired. They are the strong, smart, confident, charming, kindhearted and good-looking men. But can one man really have it all? Do alpha males really exist?

Discussion Questions:

1. How are alpha males defined in the video?

2. Do you agree that alpha males are context-based? Please give an example.

3. Why are most women attracted to alpha males?

4. Do you agree that humans are susceptible to social dominance?

5. What do you think of alpha males or very dominant people?



Cities With the Best Quality of Life

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Living in a wonderful city and enjoying the best quality life there. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Find out which cities have the best quality of life.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/these-cities-have-the-best-quality-of-life/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some of the measures used to determine the cities with the best quality of life?
  2. In your opinion, what’s the quality of life like in the city you live in?
  3. How can the quality of life be improved in your city?
  4. Describe your experience being in a city with good and bad quality of life.
  5. Which among the top 10 cities with the best quality of life would you want to live in and why?