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Skills 360 – What is ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance

Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast for today’s lesson on “ESG,” or the environmental, social, and governance commitments companies make.

Along with DEI, which we’ll talk about next time, ESG is one of those acronyms that seems to be everywhere these days. Some companies have made huge strides in ESG, and many of them are reaping the rewards. Others have just started down the path. And then there are some that are resisting, for better or worse. Whatever the situation in your company is, it’s important for you to know what ESG is all about.

On a very simple level, ESG is about paying attention to the non-financial impacts, risks, and opportunities in business. The “E” in ESG stands for “environmental.” This refers to a company’s impacts on the environment, its greenhouse gas emissions, its care for natural resources, and its resilience in the face of climate change.

The “S” in ESG stands for “social.” This pillar is all about the company’s relationship with it stakeholders, both internal and external. That includes employee engagement, as well as relationships with the surrounding community and its people. Finally, the “G” in ESG stands for “governance.” This is all about ethical and accountable leadership, board oversight, equity, and transparency.

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BEP 405 – English Idioms about Animals (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms / February 4, 2024

Welcome back to Business English Pod the second part of our series on English idioms related to animals.

English can be a difficult language to learn. One reason, which you’ve likely discovered, is that there are so many different ways to say something. It’s not just a variety of individual words, but also the variety of idioms. Idioms can be tricky. You might hear someone say “it’s a dog eat dog world” and wonder: why are they talking about dogs?

In fact, a “dog eat dog world” is not about dogs at all. This is an idiom that describes a tough competitive environment. Just like the business world in which you’re trying to learn English so you can compete. English is full of expressions like this. And it turns out that we have dozens of idioms related to animals.

In this lesson, we’ll rejoin a conversation among three colleagues in a large corporation. Ruby, Dylan and Kyle have been discussing the Chief Investment Officer position in their company, as well as the world of investments. In their conversation they use many idioms related to animals. See if you can spot some of these as we go through the dialog, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Dylan describe his investment advisor’s work habits?
2. What does Ruby say to communicate to her colleagues that she doesn’t have special information to share?
3. What does Dylan believe the company needs to do to prove they’re serious about IT transformation?

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BEP 404 – English Idioms about Animals (1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms / January 21, 2024

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on English idioms related to animals.

Like all our lessons, this one is focused on language that you can use at work and in business. When you work like a dog, you can’t waste your time learning expressions you’ll never use. And when it comes to idioms, you should focus on the ones that are commonly used and widely understood. Like the one I just used: “to work like a dog.”

In fact, there’s a ton of idioms in English that mention animals, especially dogs. That’s probably because so many of us keep them as pets. But we’ve got idioms about cats, horses, snakes, fish, cows, bears and countless other animals. And learning these idioms can add to your language toolbox and make you sound more natural. Besides, a well-placed idiom can add a lot of impact to a sentence.

In this lesson, we’ll listen to a conversation between Dylan, Ruby, and Kyle – three colleagues in a large corporation. They’re talking about the Chief Investment Officer position in their company. They discuss the former person in the role, people who applied for the job, and the person who got it. In their conversation they use many idioms related to animals. See if you can spot some of these, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. How does Ruby describe Greg, the person in finance who applied for the Chief Investment Officer job?
2. How does Dylan describe Brett, the former Chief Investment Officer?
3. What expression does Ruby use to describe the current challenging market?

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Business English News 55 – 2024 Global Economic Outlook

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, Finance and Accounting / January 7, 2024

In this Business English News lesson on the economic outlook for 2024, we look at business English vocabulary related to the global economy and finance.

At the start of every year, economists love to make predictions. But in such a volatile world, predictions are tough to make accurately. For 2023, many economists forecasted rising inflation and a “hard landing” for the global economy. But that didn’t happen. So, what’s in store for 2024? Will the challenges of 2023 snowball into a recession? Not according to MSN.com:

Although growth is estimated to be even slower in 2024, the worst is perhaps over and headwinds are expected to ease, analysts say. For next year, the IMF expects global gross domestic product to expand by 2.9 per cent, while the World Bank forecasts 2.4 per cent growth. “Looking at 2024, we anticipate uncertainty to persist, with sub-trend growth projected across the world’s economies,” State Street Global Advisor said in its 2024 Outlook report.

All of this amounts to what many people are anticipating as a “soft landing” for the U.S. economy. The fight against inflation isn’t over, and consumers are still taking it on the chin. But turning the inflationary tide didn’t require high unemployment, as is often the case.

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BEP 33c – Presentations: Summarizing and Call to Action

Business English, ESL Podcast, Presentations in English / December 10, 2023

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to finish a presentation with a summary and a call to action.

An effective presentation is one that you remember. And an effective presenter is one who knows how to get information to stick and how to make a lasting impression on the audience. But for many people, that’s easier said than done. So how can you get your ideas to stick?

Well, there’s a simple structure that you can follow. That structure involves signaling that you’re going to end your presentation. Next, you can provide a summary of what you’ve discussed. Then you can make a call to action. And finally, you can thank your audience and invite questions. With this structure, you can make a strong finish to your presentation and a lasting impression.

Today we’ll listen to a presentation by Nick, a sales director for a steel company. Nick is giving a presentation about ideas for increasing sales, which have been rather disappointing. He uses several techniques to summarize and emphasize his key points. And he provides a strong finish to his presentation.

Listening Questions

1. What does Nick say to introduce the final summary of his main ideas?
2. What does Nick tell people he wants them to do near the end of the presentation?
3. What does Nick do to end his presentation?

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