Tag: Business & Business English

Hand Sanitiser by Louis Vuitton

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Events all over the world have been cancelled in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19 virus. Life seems to have stopped and the same can be said for the business of luxury brand companies. Fortunately, some of these luxury brands are stepping in to help fight this pandemic.

Read the full lesson for more information on this brands’ plans in producing anti-viral products.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2003/200318-hand-sanitiser.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What will the luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton do to help fight the COVID-19 virus? How will they do it?
  2. Do you think it is a social responsibility for these companies to provide their services and products for free?
  3. Did local companies in your country do the same thing? Give examples.

The 5S System

B2 – Upper Intermediate

5S is a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seisō, seiketsu, and shitsuke. Translated into English roughly as ‘Sort’, ‘Set in Order’, ‘Shine’, ‘Standardize’, and ‘Sustain’, this methodology has been widely used by some of the biggest companies such as Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, and Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Follow the principles of 5S closely in the article below.

Principles of 5S and lean management which can benefit every manufacturer

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the main purpose of 5S?
  2. Can you name other companies that apply this method?
  3. Explain about your company methodologies and principles.
  4. What do you think are the disadvantages of 5S?
  5. How can 5S be relevant in your daily life?

Being Breadcrumbed At Work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Breadcrumbing refers to leaving small pieces of bread for someone. It’s what happens when you lead someone on. It’s when your company gives you “just enough” to string you along. You can tell when you are being breadcrumbed when your manager gives hints about new projects, pay increase or promotions that may – or may not – ever happen.

Read the article below and learn more about breadcrumbing at work.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190723-how-to-tell-if-youre-being-breadcrumbed-at-work

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever been breadcrumbed at work? Who did it to you and why do you think they did that? How did it affect you?
  2. What can an employee do so that they won’t be lead on/strung along?
  3. What do you think are reasons employers employ such practice?

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?

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 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?

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?

Grocery Store Influencers

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Influencers are becoming more and more important in reaching shoppers nowadays. A full-time Detroit mother blogs about the discount German grocery chain that has a huge following. She gives very objective reviews of different products and her experiences.

Here is the article about it:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/07/business/influencers-aldi-kroger-costco-publix/index.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What is influencer marketing?

2. Do you follow any influencers? Why or why not?

3. Is there any authenticity in influencer marketing?

4. What do you think will be the future of influencer marketing?

5. What are other ways you find out about deals and discounts on products or services?

Glasses Ban for Women at Work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In Japan, news of several companies banning the wearing of glasses among female employees made rounds recently.

This has become a controversial issue in the country as reports say that female employees have been told by their employers to stop wearing them.

Read the article to find out more about this eyewear ban among women in Japan.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50342714

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on forbidding women to wear glasses at their workplace?
  2. Do you think this ban is sexist? Why or why not?
  3. What might good things about wearing and not wearing glasses?

Eating at the Worst Buffet

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Every time something ignites or excites our curiosity, whether it’s a movie or a newly released video game, our expectation is usually high. Sadly, there are times, although not all the time those expectations are not met and of course, it devastates you as an avid spectator and the usual reaction is to share or convince others not to patronize it.

The video below is an example.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is there something that you read, watched, listened to, visited, or played, or otherwise experienced that you think is bad and you wish others could avoid? What are those and why would you want people to stay away from them?
  2. How would you convince others to avoid these experiences?
  3. Is it worth your time convincing others?