Tag: Business English

Apple’s VR Headset

B1 – Intermediate

Apple has been one of the top technology companies in the whole world. They are known for very innovative products. But the last time they came out with a new product was in 2015. They introduced the smartwatch.

Seven years later, Apple’s new product which is a VR headset will be sold by the end of 2023.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about Apple’s mixed-reality headset.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/apples-new-product-level-2/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does ”introduce” mean here, “Company Apple last introduced a new product in 2015 when it introduced its smartwatch.”? Use this word in your own sentence.
  2. Give 2 synonyms of “rival”. “Currently, company Meta dominates the VR market, and Apple hopes that its product will bring a different experience than its rival.” Use them in sentences.
  3. What does “mixed-reality” mean, “The new product is a mixed-reality headset, and users will control it by eye and hand.”? Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you impressed by this headset? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think the price of this headset is fair? Why or why not?
  3. “Apple hopes that its product will bring a different experience than its rival.” Do you think they will be able to do this? Why or why not?
  4. Talk about the last product/service your company introduced.
  5. How can companies keep innovating?

Adidas Loses Three-Stripe Trademark Battle

B1 – Intermediate

Trademarks help consumers distinguish one brand from another. 

Adidas’ three stripes is their trademark. They will fight against any other companies who will try to use or have something similar to their logo.

Recently, they were in a legal dispute with U.S. fashion brand Thom Browne for using a four-stripe logo, which looks a lot like that of Adidas’ three stripes.

Read the article about Adidas losing a legal battle for their iconic three-stripes trademark.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2301/230116-adidas-three-stripes-4.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is a “jury”? Use this word in your own sentence. “However, a jury decided in Thom Browne’s favour.”
  2. Give 2 synonyms of “dispute”, “The dispute with Adidas goes back to 2007, when Browne used a three-stripe design on a jacket.“. Use them in your own sentences.
  3. What does the word “market” mean here, “Browne said its design was not a problem because the companies are in different markets and their products are priced differently.”? Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on Adidas losing against Thom Browne over trademark legal battle?
  2. Personally, what do you think about Thom Browne using a trademark that looks very similar to Adidas?
  3. Do you agree that consumers are unlikely to confuse the two brands? Explain your answer.
  4. Why are trademarks important?
  5. Talk about your company’s trademark.

France to Increase Price of Baguettes

B1 – Intermediate

Baguette is an essential food for French people. However, as a result of the increasing energy cost, the price of this French bread also had to be raised. The conflict in Ukraine has caused the cost of electricity and gas to go up on the international market. As a consequence, bakers were affected.

Read the article to know more about it baguette’s price increase.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2301/230109-baguette-prices-4.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is the meaning of “woe“? “Wheat supply issues caused by the Ukraine War are adding to bakers’ woes.” Use the word in a sentence.
  2. What does the word “treble” mean? “One baker is worried about his future. He may have to treble his baguette prices.” Make one sentence using the word.
  3. What does the word “damper” mean in this sentence, “France introduced an “electricity damper” to limit how much bakers’ electricity bills can rise by.”? Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What popular food is essential in your country? Share something about it and tell why it is essential.
  2. What do you think about the bakers’ decision to increase the cost of baguettes?
  3. If there was a price increase of the product you like, would you be willing to continue buying it or would you rather find an alternative? Why or why not?

Congo Beer Factory

B1 – Intermediate

Beni is a city in Democratic Republic of the Congo. This city has endured two Ebola outbreaks and armed conflicts, but these did not stop a beer plant there from operating. 

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about a brewery in Congo and some problems it is dealing with.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/congo-beer-factory-level-3/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “impoverished” mean? It is an impoverished province that has been grappling with major fights by the M23 Rebel group. Give 2 synonyms. Use ‘impoverished’ in your own sentence. 
  2. What does the expression “to grapple with something” mean? “It is an impoverished province that has been grappling with major fights by the M23 Rebel group.” Use this expression in your own sentence.
  3. What does it mean when someone/something is your “only hope”? “Many people joined the factory, and it has become their only hope to make money.” Use this phrase in your own sentence. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some problems running a business in Beni?
  2. Is it a good idea for the beer factory to continue? Why or why not?
  3. Share your thoughts on this, ” 73% of the people live on less than 1.9 dollars a day.“.
  4. What do you think are some common problems of companies in your industry? How are they being solved?
  5. Is it possible to end poverty? Share your opinion.

Credit Cards

B1 – Intermediate

Credit cards are plastic cards that lets you pay for goods or services and can be paid for either at the end of a set period which is normally a month. They are also known as plastic money and even more secure than cash.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about credit cards.

https://listenaminute.com/c/credit_cards.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the expression “to be the thing of the future” mean? Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does the word “note” mean here, “People are still using notes and coins.”? Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “mile” mean in this sentence, “When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents.”? Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you like most about credit cards?
  2. In what ways are credit cards better than cash?
  3. What do you usually use your credit card for?
  4. Do you think we’ll still be using credit cards twenty years from now? Explain.
  5. Would people be in a better financial situation without credit cards? Explain.

How Insurance Companies Make Money

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The idea behind the insurance company’s revenue model is a contract between an insurer and a person, business, or organization in which the insurer guarantees to pay a certain sum of money in the event that the insured loses a specific asset, typically due to damage, illness, or, in the case of life insurance, death.

Let’s look at how insurance businesses generate income and why risk-based revenue has been so successful over time.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the idiom “swashbuckling” mean? Use it in a sentence. “From swashbuckling pirates to ferocious fire that ravaged the world’s greatest city, insurance has had a colorful past.”
  2. What does the word “whet” mean? “If these questions whet your curiosity, then stay tuned to today’s episode.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does the word “gamble” mean? Use it in your own sentence. “Insurance companies make money because they evaluate the risk and decide whether it is worth the gamble.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are common types of insurance policies in your country?
  2. What kind of insurance do you possess?
  3. Have you had a bad experience with insurance companies?
  4. Do you believe that a person has to have every type of insurance policy?

Social Media Marketing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media has its pros and cons, depending on how you use it. You can use it to earn money, communicate with people, build connections, promote a business, or solely just for leisure. With proper use, people and businesses can benefit from it.

Read the article to learn how social media helped a dying business through what some call “accidental influencer” or organic marketing.

https://xsmultimedia.com/2022/06/24/social-media-marketing-the-tropical-hut-invasion/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “organic marketing” mean, “Tropical Hut’s resurgence is a living proof that organic marketing is one of the most effective ways to revive something so good most especially in this time of digital saturation and peak consumerism.” Use it in a sentence.
  2. Explain the concept “word of mouth” in your own words. “People are more drawn into the aesthetically-pleasing ads, but nothing beats the original, word of mouth type of organic [ marketing].” Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “buzz” mean, “A lot of people may call it “Accidental Influencer/Marketing”, and others call it “Organic Marketing”—but the revival of the 57-year-old fast food chain shows that Filipinos are here for what is trending, for what is the buzz, and all everything that falls into the right places.“? Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Question:

  1. Share your thoughts on this, “You can have as many clickbait captions and aesthetic photos as you want, but nothing will ever be as effective as organic marketing coming from the testimony of happy and satisfied customers.”.
  2. Based on the article, how did a certain social media post help revive Tropical Hut?
  3. How can people utilize social media to grow their businesses?
  4. What do you think are other strategies to promote a business on social media?

Twitter Feature to Flag Shadow Banning

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Shadow banning or comment ghosting is a way of suspending an account on social media networks like Twitter. The user thinks their posts are going through when in fact, their contents are not visible nor accessible to others.

Twitter is working on a feature that will show whether an account is shadowbanned and the reason behind it. In addition, it will show the users how to appeal for their accounts not to be shadowbanned.

Read the article and watch the video to know more about Twitter’s new feature that will determine whether an account has been shadowbanned.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/09/tech/musk-twitter-shadowbanning

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is “shadow banning”? “Twitter is rolling out a new feature that will flag ‘shadowbanning.” Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What does “outcry” mean? “With that announcement, Musk, who has said he now votes Republican, prompted an outcry from some conservatives, who accused him of continuing a practice they opposed.” Give 1-2 synonyms of this word. Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “thread” mean in this sentence, “Musk on Friday shared Weiss’ thread in a tweet and added, “The Twitter Files, Part Duex!!” along with two popcorn emojis.”? Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on shadow banning?
  2. What do you think about Twitter’s new feature that will flag shadow banning?
  3. Should negative/hate tweets be de-boosted and demonetized? Explain your stand.

Apple Workers Protest

B1 – Intermediate

Many, if not all, countries have relaxed their COVID restrictions over the past year. However, it is not the case in China. They continue to have strict rules to prevent new COVID infections in their country.

This means that some workers have to be quarantined in dormitories. Workers are not happy anymore with their conditions so they started protesting.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about Apple workers’ protests in China.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/apple-workers-protest-level-2/

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “lead to” mean? “Many of them were very unhappy with the situation, which led to protests.” Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does “tough” mean in this sentence, “Tough restrictions are still in China as the country is trying to stop new COVID-19 infections.“? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “shorten” mean? “The government promised to make some changes such as shorten quarantines, but not much changed so far.” Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on these protests?
  2. What is your opinion on the labor conditions of Apple’s factory workers in China?
  3. What is your opinion on China still having tough Covid restrictions until now?

The Economics of IKEA 

B2 – Upper Intermediate

IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer with a unique business model. They have designed a minimalist flat-pack furniture and customers have to assemble it. One of the secrets of IKEA’s success has been identified as “The IKEA Effect”. It simply states that when you help build something, you are more attached to it.

Watch the video to learn more and be able to answer the questions that follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the video, what is The IKEA Effect? What do you think of it?
  2. Do you agree that people tend to love an item more when they have put effort into creating it? Explain.
  3. Is flat-packing an effective retail strategy? Why or why not?
  4. How do you feel about IKEA? Share some of your shopping experiences.
  5. What things have you built on your own and are attached to?