This is an enhanced version of the first intermediate Business English News podcast on Reebok’s new marketing campaign. Now you can view pictures and text related to the article on your computer or video iPod (you should also be able to see the images on most video MP3 players and phones).
To download a set of study notes for this podcast ‘right-click’ on this link, select save target and then choose which folder on your computer to save the file to.
Today we’re introducing our first Business English News podcast for intermediate listeners. This will now be a regular show with new episodes each month. Most of the time, we’ll cover a similar topic to the current Advanced Business News podcast but the articles and vocabulary will be simplified to make them more suitable for intermediate learners.
The topic today is marketing and, in particular, Reebok’s new advertising campaign and slogan.
Key Vocabulary:
1. to launch – to release a new product
2. Ad campaign – a campaign is an organized series of activities and Ad is short for advertising.
3. to motivate – to get people interested in something
4. take a swipe at something – take a hit at something or to make fun of something.
5. slogan – a short memorable phrase used to promote a product.
6. strategy – a plan or approach intended to achieve a major aim or goal.
7. compete – to try and win a game or to gain an advantage over somebody.
8. competitors – other companies that Reebok is competing against.
9. purportedly – to claim to do or say something.
10. ties to something – connections.
11. celebrity endorser – a famous person who publicly promotes a product.
This is the second in our two-part intermediate Business English Podcast series on opening and managing meetings in english. In the first episode, we looked at how to open a meeting. In today’s podcast lesson we’re going to cover how to manage the discussion.
Martin, the GM of Daneline Singapore, is discussing with his staff how to make up a budget shortfall. He has just asked Sandra to kick off the first item on the agenda – outsourcing the cleaning.
Listening Quiz
1) How much money can Daneline Singapore save by outsourcing cleaning?
2) Does Sam like pizza?
3) Does Dave agree with the strategy of outsourcing cleaning?
4) How does Dave suggest dealing with the brochure redesign?
This is the first in a two-part intermediate Business English Podcast lesson on opening and managing meetings. In this episode, we’ll look at how to open a meeting. In the second part (BEP 43) we’ll look at language you can use to manage the discussion.
The listening takes place in the Singapore offices of Daneline, an international shipping company. Martin, the GM, is chairing a meeting with Sandra, David and Sam to discuss a budget shortfall. Shortfall means their budget has fallen short of expectations. In other words, they don’t have enough money, so they need to make some cuts. To chair a meeting is to lead the meeting. We can say that Martin is the chairperson. So in these two episodes on opening and managing meetings, you’ll be learning language for chairing meetings.
Listening Quiz
1) What is the amount of the budget shortfall?
2) Why doesn’t Sandra have a copy of the agenda?
3) How many possible cuts are under discussion?
4) What is the first item on the agenda?
Today we have a Business English News story on a recent study by several universities that looks into the ”˜selling power’ or influence – of celebrities. Celebrity is another word for famous person, such as a movie or sports star.
The vocabulary we discuss in this podcast expands on the marketing terms we covered in Video Vocab 04.
