BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

Putting people above profits – Advanced

Worksheet
1 Warmer

a. Look at the pictures. In pairs, discuss which occupations these people might have. What kinds
of challenges do you think they face if they are working while we fight the virus? How could
their employers help them to face these challenges and succeed?

2 Key words

a. Write the words from the box next to the definitions below. The section numbers are there to
help you find the words in the article.

algorithm   backlash   buckling   clapping
deadlines   gig economy   lockdown   quarantine
rainforest   rigour   tweak   unprecedented

1. a forest in a tropical region of the world where it rains a lot (2)

2. the quality of being thorough and careful (2)

3. a situation in which a person or animal with a disease is kept separate from other people or

animals so that they do not catch the disease (5)

4. a time when large numbers of people are ordered to stay at home either most or all of the time

(5)

5. a strong, negative and often angry reaction to something that has happened, especially a political

or social change (5)

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6. to make small changes in order to improve something (5)

7. specific times or dates by which you have to do something (5)

8. suddenly becoming weak because you have no energy left (6)

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9. a labour market where there are a lot of short-term contracts or freelance work and not many

permanent jobs (8)

10. a set of rules for solving problems or doing calculations, especially rules used by a computer

(8)

11. hitting your hands together many times to show that you liked something or admire someone

(9)

12. never having happened or existed before (16)

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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS
How should we assess value?
NOW IS A GOOD MOMENT TO RETHINK BUSINESS PRINCIPLES AND PUT HUMANS BEFORE PROFITS
BY RAVI MATTU
1 Mark Carney, the former central banker, asks why
we esteem financial value over human values in this
year’s BBC Reith Lectures.
2 One theme is our slow response to climate change.
Mr Carney says we favour short-term thinking over
long-term strategy partly because we do not properly
recognise the value of preserving the planet. We fail
to assess the Amazon rainforest with the same rigour
that we approach Amazon the company because we
place more focus on the present than the future.
3 Many companies, driven by a singular focus on
maximising efficiency and profits, fall into this trap but
the pandemic has presented a moment for leaders
to rethink first principles. Mr Carney’s argument
is a useful lens that managers can use to better
understand value in their organisations.
4 Two very different stories from the coronavirus crisis
illustrate how.
5 The first is from China, where much of the country
was under lockdown after the virus was discovered.
For millions of Chinese stuck at home, food delivery
drivers became heroes for maintaining supplies
through quarantine. When couriers complained about
the stress of being penalised for missing strict time
limits imposed by services such as Meituan and
Ele.me, a consumer backlash forced the companies
to tweak their algorithms and extend the deadlines.
6 The second example is from the UK, where Britons
took to the streets and applauded healthcare workers
during the first stages of the pandemic. The collective
experience boosted the nation’s spirits and felt like
recognition for a buckling NHS.
7 Both of these stories display a genuine
appreciation but did they lead to meaningful
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change for the lauded?
8 Chinese delivery drivers are still in demand but
remain under intense pressure, as is typical for gig
economy workers who are often poorly paid and live
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precarious lives governed by an algorithm.
“The rewards are light but the punishments are
always heavy,” one Chinese courier told NPR last
month. Some drivers have gone on strike or protested
against working conditions.
9 In the UK, some healthcare workers suggested
the applause was nice but did nothing to deal with
the underlying pressures they face. Stop clapping,
they said, start managing the NHS and staff better,
and take the pandemic seriously. Hospitalisations
in England last week surpassed their peak in April,
during the first wave of the pandemic.
10 These stories highlight how understanding value
matters. There has been lots of public appreciation
for work done under extreme circumstances but not
enough done to address fundamental problems that
have been amplified by the crisis.
11 Some managers, however, have gone deeper.
12 One executive at a midsized global company said that
not being able to travel or work in the office forced her
to put more trust in lieutenants. But it also highlighted
who she was less able to trust or rely upon, revealing
which staff added the most value to the organisation.
Such insight has been critical as she thinks about
how to retool the business beyond the pandemic.
13 Roger Martin, the management thinker, believes
organisations need to become more human. For
too long, he says, companies have been driven
solely by profits and efficiency, and have turned
their staff into automatons by stripping them of
decision-making authority.
14 He points to the example of Costco, the retailer,
which pays its staff higher wages than its peers and
gives them more autonomy. “They have a business
system set up to give these people important jobs and
decision making. If you do that, it’s no problem to let
them make more. But you can’t if you turn them into
a drone.”
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15 Rita Gunther McGrath, a professor at Columbia
Business School, argues for more regulatory
pressure, such as forcing boards to include worker
representatives as in Germany. But she adds that
investors need to challenge CEOs more effectively.
“Unlike the postwar situation, in which the job of
company leaders was seen to create good jobs and a
thriving middle class, they have not been questioned
sufficiently, in my view, of the impact of their decisions 17 The same could be said of Covid. The crisis offers
on regular people,” she says.
16 This argument reflects a view advocated by
Mr Carney, who calls for a company’s approach
to global warming to be as much a determinant of
its value as credit worthiness. The climate crisis
is unprecedented, however, so the past is not a
good predictor of the future and different solutions
are needed.
a chance to radically reassess value. Asking the right
questions is a start.

Ravi Mattu, 4 January 2021

©The Financial Times
All rights are reserved.
Articles are republished from the Financial Times
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3 Understanding the article

a. In pairs, read the statements below and identify which are supported by information from the text. Tick
the supported statements.

1. Businesses tend to treat their employees in a similar way to the environment, placing more
importance on profits than human values.

2. The pandemic proves that it is more important during times of economic hardship to focus on
boosting profits than it is to give people more freedom.

3. Chinese deliver drivers have been under pressure to meet strict deadlines, with employers
penalising them for late deliveries.

4. Customers reported the delivery drivers for failing to deliver packages on time and became the
catalyst behind a round of redundancies.

5. Some of the Chinese delivery drivers have chosen to go on strike and protest against unrealistic
working conditions.

6. People in Britain have been standing in the street and applauding the government at the same
time every week since the pandemic began.

7. The number of patients in hospitals in Britain has increased and is now higher than the peak
experienced in April.

8. A business professional has been forced to trust her subordinates more as she cannot work with
them in person in the office.

9. Costco pays its staff high wages but they have to operate under strict rules and this has led to
many resignations.

10. Following the war, focus was placed on creating a strong economy and a financially stable society,
but the decisions of company leaders and their impact on regular people has not been sufficiently
questioned.

4 Business Language – Collocations

a. Complete the collocations below with words from the box.

change   circumstances   conditions   limits   of   trap   warming

1. working

2. climate
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3. extreme

4. fall into [the]

5. global

6. stripping [someone]

7. time
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b. Complete the passage with the collocations from activity a. In some cases, you will have to adjust the
collocations to fit the sense of the text.

Although the actor ran his own environmental charity and had spoken out about
at international events, he has recently faced a backlash from fans for a number
of mishaps.

Firstly, in an ironic turn of events, he had chosen to fly halfway around the world on a private jet to
collect a awareness award. Many people took to social media to express
their disappointment, with one stating that ‘it was an unacceptable decision for an environmental
activist to take a private plane to collect this award, even in the most .’

Furthermore, clothing produced by his environmental charity has been a source of media focus in
recent months and for all the wrong reasons – a regulator visited the factory and found that many of
the workers were children facing disgusting . They were also required to
work to unrealistic and only had breaks to use the toilet. Since the first
story surfaced, the actor has gone into hiding and is avoiding journalists’ attempts to get his side of
the story.

One reporter suggested that many celebrities of using their activism

to boost their popularity rather than focusing solely on making positive changes in the world. When
genuine commitment to the cause is not there, they become sloppy and end up taking risks that
could cost them their public integrity. These latest mishaps with the private jet and the unfair working
conditions are prime examples.

The actor may now be hiding out at his Californian estate and reflecting on the punishments inflicted
on his peers who landed themselves in a similar situation. Perhaps he is biting his nails while images
of the Queen of England his honours flash through his mind. Does the
punishment fit the crime? Only time will tell.

5 Business Language – Vocabulary for industries

a. Put the words and expressions from the wordpool in the right column in the table below.

algorithm   automatons   central banker   climate change   credit

drone   global warming   healthcare   rainforest   pandemic

Technology Financial Environmental Medical

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6 Discussion questions

a. Read and discuss the questions with your group.

• Do you think it is ever appropriate for a company to put profits above the welfare of its
employees? Are there extreme circumstances that make it acceptable?

• How can acts like public clapping for good causes help to build a sense of community and boost
morale during challenging times?

• How important do you think it is for workers to be given more freedom to work autonomously and
how can this contribute to professional development?

7 Wider business theme – supporting autonomy

a. In pairs, take turns and do the role play. Choose role A or B and read the role description.

A: You are a senior employee at a company that delivers major events in the education calendar. One
of your key events is a large conference about technology in the education industry and it attracts over
500 guests each year. One of your employees, B, is keen to take on greater responsibility at work and
you have been considering delegating one of the events to them. You think B might need to gain some
more events management experience before taking on a major event, but you are supportive of their
progression and are keen to listen to their suggestions.

B: You are an employee at a company that delivers major events in the education calendar. You
are keen to progress at work and are aware that your manager is planning to delegate one of their
events to you, but you want to make sure you manage to get the best event – a key education
conference that draws over 500 guests each year. You need to convince your manager to give you
this opportunity but remember to be polite and professional!
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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS
Putting people above profits – Advanced
Teacher’s notes
2. Key words and expressions
Title of the lesson: Putting people
above profits
a. Students complete the definitions with the words from
the box. Remind them that they can use the section
Level: Advanced (C1-C2)
numbers to find the words in the article.
Time: 90 minutes +
Key:
Groups: One-to-one, small groups, 1. rainforest 7. deadlines
whole class 2. rigour 8. buckling
3. quarantine 9. gig economy
Business topics: Business, profit, values 4. lockdown 10. algorithm
5. backlash 11. clapping
Business language focus: Collocations, 6. tweak 12. unprecedented
vocabulary related to business and industries
3. Understanding the text
Skills: Reading, speaking, writing
a. Have students work in pairs to decide and tick the
Materials: One copy of the worksheet statements that are supported by information from
per student the text.

Key:
1. ✓ 7. ✓
Overview: This lesson is based on an
3. ✓ 8. ✓
authentic article from a trusted news source.
5. ✓ 10. ✓
The article is about how, despite the public
having shown appreciation for work done
under extreme circumstances and pressure 4. Business Language – Collocations
all over the world, companies and managers
still have a long way to go in making sure a. Students make collocations by combining the words.
their employees are truly valued. The author Make sure they understand the meaning of all the
suggests that this pandemic could be used as collocations before starting the next activity.
an opportunity to make radical changes, and
properly reassess value within companies. 1. working conditions
2. climate change
3. extreme circumstances
4. fall into [the] trap
5. global warming
1. Warmer
6. stripping [someone] of
7. time limits
a. Tell the students to look at the pictures of the people
and ask the class which occupations they think they b. Ask the students to read the text and then use the
have (food delivery cyclist, fast food worker, package collocations to complete the sentences.
delivery driver). Note that two of these people are
wearing masks and working during the pandemic.
Advanced

Key:
Ask them what kinds of challenges this situation could 1. climate change / global warming
present for these jobs. Then, ask them to consider 2. global warming / climate change
what their employers could do to help them face these 3. extreme circumstances
challenges and succeed. 4. working conditions
5. time limits
6. fall into [the] trap
7. stripping [him] of
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5. Business Language – Vocabulary 7. Wider business theme – Supporting

for industries autonomy

a. Students
  put the words and expressions from the a. Explain that students will work in pairs to do a role
wordpool in the correct column in the table. Make play, with one of them playing the role of a manager
sure the students understand the difference between and the other their subordinate. The aim of the role
the industries. play is to practise negotiation of responsibilities
and delegation of tasks, with role B demonstrating
Technology Financial Environmental Medical autonomous ability. Divide the class into A and B roles
algorithm central climate change healthcare and then put them in pairs. If there is an odd number,
banker work with the remaining student. Consider providing
a scenario to get the role play started if necessary:
automatons credit global warming pandemic
B walks into the office and sees their manager is
drone rainforest sitting alone… Observe the pairs and choose a good
example to perform their role play in front of the class
6. Discussion questions at the end. Consider further discussion – ask the
students if they found negotiation to be challenging
a. Put
  students into small groups and have them and how they might approach a situation like this
read and discuss the questions. Once all groups differently in their own jobs. How would they advise
have completed the discussion, encourage further others to negotiate for more autonomy at work?
discussion with the whole class. Ask the students to
describe public acts of appreciation and kindness
during the pandemic – do they know of any other
acts to thank health services or has a particular figure
made a big impact on public morale? Encourage
several answers before moving on to the next task.
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