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BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

CONFLICT OF
INTEREST

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1 Warm-up

Do you ever eat at McDonald’s? Why/why not?

2 Key words

Match the following words with their correct definition.

1. sue a. a choice you make after you consider several options

2. historic b. an official document that gives you permission to do something

3. a branch c. a round roof on a building

4. a licence d. a store that is one of many in a company

5. an application e. a written request for something

6. a decision f. important in history

7. a dome g. to do what the law or someone says you have to do

8. obey h. to point out what you think the problems are about something

9. criticize i. to take legal action against someone or an organization for

money

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INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

3 Find the information

You are going to read an article about how McDonald’s wants to open a new branch in the center of
Florence. Find the information below in the text below.

1. Who is McDonald’s suing because they are not allowed to open a new restaurant?
2. Where exactly does McDonald’s want to open a new branch?
3. How old is the cathedral?
4. Why was McDonald’s application to open the new branch refused?
5. Why is McDonald’s so angry about the decision?
6. Where did McDonald’s also want to have a new branch?

McDonald’s sues Florence for $20m after city refuses restaurant

application
Reports say that McDonald’s is furious after it was stopped from opening a branch next to the historic
cathedral

Adapted from the Independent by Ben Kentish, 8 November 2016

1.
McDonald’s is suing the Italian city of Florence after
it was refused a licence to open a new restaurant in
the city’s historic main square.
2.
The U.S. company wants almost $20m (about £16m)
because its application for the new restaurant in the
Piazza del Duomo was rejected. The square is visited
by a large number of tourists every year and is the
home of the 800-year-old Duomo Cathedral.
3.
The application was declined because of new rules
designed to protect the city’s historic center. The city
wants to slow down the increase in the number of
fast food restaurants. Any new restaurants in the area
that are allowed have to use domestic products from
the city or the surrounding region of Tuscany.
4.
The Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardello, turned down
McDonald’s application in June. The decision to deny
permission to open the restaurant was approved
last month by people responsible for protecting
Florence’s historic city center.
5.
Mr. Nardello told the city council: "McDonald’s has
the right to submit an application because this is
permitted by law, but we also have the right to say
no."
6.
He said he wanted to support traditional industries in
the area.
7.
Mr. Nardello added that they were not against
McDonald’s, saying that the company has many
restaurants in other parts of the city.
8.
McDonald’s is angry about the decision because they
promised to make big changes to the way they work
to obey Florence’s new rules. It now wants the courts
to review the decision.
9.
The Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) is a world-
famous tourist destination with examples of Gothic
and Renaissance architecture. Buildings in The
Square include The Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral
with its impressive dome, The Giotto Bell Tower and
the Baptistery of Saint John.
10.
There are already four McDonald’s branches that are
within a five-minutes walk from the square.
11.
It is not the first time that McDonald’s plan to open
a branch in a historic location has annoyed local
residents.
12.
Last month, Catholic priests criticized the chain’s
proposals to open a restaurant next to Saint Peter’s
Square in the Vatican.
13.
Cardinal Elio Sgreccia told an Italian newspaper that
the decision by McDonald’s to open this restaurant
was controversial, and it would look out of place in
the square.

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INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

4 Find the words

Find a word or phrase in the text which means ...

1. the area around a specific location (collocation, P.3):

2. very old and important central part of a city (phrase, P.4):
3. a group of people chosen to govern a city (noun, P.5):
4. selling of things that people have sold for a long time (phrase, P.6):
5. a place where legal cases happen (noun, P.8):
6. a place that a lot of people visit that is known everywhere (phrase, P.9):
7. causing a lot of discussion and debate (adj., P.13):
8. doesn’t belong in a specific place (phrase, P.13):

5 Getting permission

Put the words into the correct categories.

allowed declined denied permitted refused rejected turned down

Have permission to do something:

Permission not given to do something:

6 Collocations

Match the verbs on the left with the words on the right.

1. obey a. a branch

2. deny b. an application

3. open c. permission

4. submit d. rules

5. protect e. the city

7 Debate
Work in small groups. Prepare an argument to defend your position.

Group A (Florence city council): Defend your decision not to allow McDonald’s to open a new branch.
Group B (McDonald’s): Say why you want to sue Florence for $20m.

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