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Business English News 35 – Tech Unicorns

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT English and Tech / January 3, 2016

Originally named for their rarity, technology “unicorns” are now as common as cats and dogs. As the number of companies hitting the $1bn valuation mark that defines a unicorn skyrockets, it’s easy for investors to be giddy with excitement. But, as City AM points out, these magical creatures may be too good to be true:

The so-called “unicorns” are being targeted by traders betting their share prices will fall. Named because of their mythical, elusive status, the number of unicorns running around has been enough to garner speculation that many of these firms are overvalued.

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Business English News 34 – The Sharing Economy

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, Finance and Accounting / October 11, 2015

Whether it’s ridesharing with Uber, lending your power drill to a neighbor with Peerby, taking advantage of a home exchange with Airbnb, or dozens of other examples, the so-called “sharing economy” is firmly established in our daily life. While the concept has been in place for some time, numerous enterprising groups have found a way to make the most of the current economic environment.

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Business English News 33 – Employment Practices

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, Human Resources / July 5, 2015

In today’s Business English News lesson, we look at developments in employment practices and how these effect job stability and opportunities for career development.

The world quietly passed a significant milestone recently – the global jobless total surpassed 200 million people, according to a study by the UN. To put that into perspective, that’s 30 million more without work than at the height of the recession in 2008. As CBC News reports, these figures could have grave implications for the future.

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Business English News 32 – Currency Wars

Business English, Business News, Finance and Accounting / April 12, 2015

In today’s Business English News lesson, we look at how countries are using competitive devaluations of their currencies to stimulate economic growth.

It’s been a wild ride since the global economy welcomed in the New Year, and the scale of global easing that’s taking place has stunned investors. On average, an interest rate has been cut somewhere in the world once every 3 days, catching everyone off guard. If 25 countries cutting rates since the start of the year wasn’t proof enough, this week’s warning from Janet Yellen about the dollar’s strength confirmed that the world’s top central banks are fighting a currency war.

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Business English News 31 – Crowdfunding

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, Finance and Accounting / January 4, 2015

In today’s Business English News lesson, we look at new methods of raising capital for startups.

Crowdfunding, the idea of gathering lots of small contributions from individuals to finance a company or a project, is one of the latest buzzwords to hit the business world. Born as a result of the economic crisis where access to financing from traditional sources is increasingly difficult, crowdfunding is another avenue to secure funds for entrepreneurial ventures; as This is Money explains:

Until recently, financing a business involved asking a few people for big sums of money. Crowdfunding is turning this idea on its head, using the Internet to help entrepreneurs talk to thousands – if not millions – of potential funders who each contribute a small amount.

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