Activities for Business English

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Business English activities



Activity 1

Aim of Activity : three ways to exploit the topic of investing

Level : C1Grouping : pair-work (two pairs)

Handouts, materials needed : an article cut into four

Timing : 15-20 minutes are needed

Description of procedure:

The activity starts with an introduction into the topic. Students are asked whether they

have ever thought about investing money in anything.

Then students are given extracts from the same article that they have to read on their ownthen summarise it to their peers.

During the next part students work in groups. Each group has to choose two of the

previously highlighted words from the text that they have to define to the members of

the other group, who have to make guesses on the words.

Finally, the whole article is put together in order by the students.

Follow-up : students are given the original article. Unknown words are discussed.

Source : the original article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20701742

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20701742






Everyone has a financial goal. Whether it is saving up for a holiday or buying a house,we all have aspirations that need financing.

Most people start off by putting some money away each month into a cash savings account.

It is usually only when we have built up an "emergency pot", and have a bit more disposableincome, that we start thinking about how we could make our savings work harder.

This is when saving generally becomes investing. Why bother?

With interest r ates at such low levels, someone saving £200 a month into a cash account , paying just 0.5% annual interest, would earn you £24,614 over 10 years.

Of that, the accumulated interest would be just £614.

If you can find an investment that would return 7% per annum, the extra return couldgenerate a pot of money worth £34,404.

The world of investments can seem complicated and beyond our reach, with some peoplemistakenly believing only the rich can afford to dabble in the stock mark et , but that simply isnot true.

Anyone can invest and for as little as £50 per month.

----

Pooled funds

Once you have decided on the type of investment you want to make, you should consider howyou will invest.

Investing in an individual company or bond requires a considerable amount of time andresearch and can be costly.

It can also be risky as you may be putting your faith in the fortunes of just one or twocompanies.

So unless you have the time and inclination to research them yourself, the most popular wayof investing is via a fund, although there are other products available too.

Funds such as unit trusts or investment trusts will have a professional manager investing yourmoney.

They will pool your money with that of other investors and use it to purchase a larger numberof assets (usually 40-100).

They will also review the investments to make sure they are doing well and change them ifnecessary.





Activity 2

Aim of Activity : learning new vocabulary items in groups concerning leadership and

management styles

Level : B2

Grouping : three groups or four

Handouts, materials needed : a crossword with the definition of words (from Business

Vocabulary in Use p. 97) and two texts showing the words in context (p. 96).

Timing : 10-15 minutes

Description of procedure :

From each group an ‘initate’ is chosen. The rest of the groups are given the definitions

(without the crossword) and a list of the words that are sought.

The initiates work together in a separate group and they are given the text that they have to

study. They make notes of the words and their meanings.

In the last part of the activity each initiate goes back to their group and help them check

their guesses on the matching of phrases and definitions and fill in the crossword, which

is now given to them.

Follow-up: every student is given the text.

Source: Bill Mascull: Cambridge Business Vocabulary in Use (2002), unit 44





Activity 3

Aim of Activity : learning an expressive and varied list of idioms expressing succes and failure

Level : B2-C1

Grouping : individual work (can be easily adapted ot group-work)

Handouts, materials needed : a list of idioms exressing failure and success, a list of sentences

and a task about matching idioms and definitions

Timing : 10 minutes


Each student is given a list of 24 idioms (A) relating to success and failure. Their first

task is to make a guess on which should be associated with which of the two.

During the next part of the activity they are given a list of sentences using these phrases

(B). Students can correct their guesses after reading the sentences.

During the last part of the activity students are given a list of definitions (C) which should

be matched with the idioms.

Follow-up : students are asked who could make the most good guesses at the first time.

Source : Glenn Darragh: Bsuiness Idioms. 1,000 Everyday Idioms in Business (2000). p. 77-

83

A.

success

come out on topdo the trickrise from the ashesget on top of sthmake a killing

by leaps and bounds

make a splashmake one's mark be home and dryget sth off the ground

failure

go bustgo to the wallcome a croppermake a dent in sthgo to the dogsgo downhillgo down the drain



reach a dead endfall flat (on one's face)a damp squib

B.

That's Rupert Murdoch for you: breaking the rules, defying convention, waging war by anymeans necessary — and usually coming out on top .

Korean officials tried to downplay their needs, saying they thought that only 20 billion fromthe IMF would do the trick .

In 1997, Apple lost $1 billion and noone believed it could survive. In its first fiscal year sinceSteve Jobs took over as interim C.E.O., the company rose from the ashes , making a profitof $309 million.

When you're faced with some large, intimidating job, you have to learn to break it into small,specific tasks. If you don't get on top of it , you'll get buried underneath.

Until Bill Gates and his fellow shareholders made a killing at Microsoft, increasing returnswere thought to exist only in textbooks. Now their existence in high-tech markets (likesoftware and multimedia) is widely acknowledged.

The market for our products is growing by leaps and bounds in Europe. Revenues areexpected to risef rom $4 million last year to $18 million by 2004.

DonatellaVersace made a splash with her fourth collection since the death of her brotherGianni, shown yesterday in Milan.

A simple and memorable electronic address is essential for any company or organisationtrying to make its mark on the Internet.

I've been informed unofficially that we've been awarded the contract. The meeting tomorrowis merely a formality, so you can all relax.We're already home and dry .

I started the company entirely on my own, but it was tiny for the first couple of years. I could

never have got it off the ground without a good sales manager.Aiwa, half-owned by Sony, almost went bust in the late 1980s when the yen rose sharplyfollowing the Plaza Accord of 1985.

When Philip Morris knocked 40c off apacket of Marlboro, $47 billion was instantly wipedoff the market value of America stop twenty cigarette manufacturers. Lesser brands wentto the wall .

In the next 15 years we are bound to have a radical change in automotive technology, mostlikely in the engine. When that happens, mos t of the world’s automakers will come acropper .

In the business of hooking people up to the internet, Microsoft is already trailing badly – unable to make a dent in the progress of America Online.

It used to be one of the most efficient firms in the city, but since Old Weston died and his sontook over, it's gone to the dogs . Now half the time they don't even answer the phone.

After peaking at $87 last December — the week Microsoft declared war — Netscape's shareshave gone steadily downhill , recently trading in themid-30s.

You owe it to yourself and your family to provide for the future of your business. Don't let allyour hard work and investment go down the drain for lack of insurance.

We spent years trying to develop a prototype but simply couldn't resolve the technical problems. Finally we realised we had reached a dead end and abandoned the projectentirely.

Intuit fell flat on its face in early 1995 when hundreds of customers called to tell stories abouthow bugs in its Turbo Tax product were making a mess of their income tax returns.

Tesco's rivals were dismissive of its recent price cuts. “It is a damp squib ,” Asda said. ”Theyare only playing catch-up and we are still cheaper even after the new prices. ”



C.

To have the desired effectTo make a large profitVery quicklyTo be no longer in danger of failing, but sure of successTo cause a sensation by showing ones abilities or qualitiesTo make something start successfullyTo be able to deal with something, e.g. work or difficulties, successfullyTo develop out of ruin into new life and importanceTo succeed or achieve recognitionTo be successful or victorious

To be no longer of good quality, to be in decline or near ruinTo go back to the starting point after a failed attempt ats omethingTo become less successful or of lower quality

To suffer a sudden misfortune or failureTo come to a point where no further progress can be madeTo go bankrupt, to be forced to stop operating(an attempt,a joke) To fail dismallyTo reduce, (a person's reputation, etc.) to hurt or to lessen(money, effort,etc.) To be wasted or lost(companies, entrepreneurs,etc.)To be ruined, to be pushed aside as worthless



Activity 4

Aim of Activity : drawing attention to ethical issues in business and practice discussion

Level : B2-C1

Grouping : pair-work

Handouts , materials needed: role cards

Timing : 10 minutes


Students in pairs are handed out ethical issues like

- sweatshop labour (should a company rely on Asian manufactorer that underpay

workers?)

- affirmative action program (using gender-based quotas to avoid sexual

discrimination?)

- enviormental damages (should a company do more for environmental-friendliness than

what is regulated by law?)

- imitating style and image of market leader by smaller companies (is it an ethical issue?

should it be banned by the code of ethics?)

Each student has a role-card according to wich they should argue for or against a

statement. They have 10 minutes for a debate, come up with arguments (and hopefully toreach some sort of a consensus)

Follow-up : pairs summarise their issues and what they have reached during the debate.

Source : no specific, but some inspiration came from unit 41 (Ethics) in Bill Mascull:

Cambridge Business Vocabulary in Use (2002)



Activity 5

Aim of Activity : to practice describe changes in prices

Level : B1-B2

Grouping : individual work

Handouts, materials needed : graphs showing the change in prices handed out separately, a

collection of sentences describing the graphs

Timing : 15 minutes


Each student is given a graph he or she should not show the others. The student has to

describe in his or her own words what change the graph shown in prices. If there is

enough graph for every student all the graphs should be shown by a projector or a bigger piece of paper so that while the student describes his or her graph the rest of the

class should guess which one is described. If there is not enough graph for every

student the students without a graph might draw up the graph on the board and it is

revealed later whether his or her drawing is accurate or not.

After this part students are given eight sentences that are models given by a book to

describe the graphs, which are now easy to match to the graphs.

Follow-up: a short group discussion on which share seemes to be the best to invest inSource: Steve Flinders: Professional English. Business: General (2003), Unit 39

Descriptions:1. The share price reached a peak.2. The share price rose slightly.3. The share price went up steadily.4. The share price increased dramatically.5. The share price reached a low point and then recovered.6. The share price decreased slowly.7. The share price fluctuated.8. The share price levelled out.9. The shares fell rapidly.10. The share price went down steadily.





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Activities for Business English