Business English Pod / Articles by: BEP / Page 115

BEP 147 – How to Ask for a Pay Raise (1)

Advanced, Business English, ESL Podcast, Human Resources, Negotiating /

This is the first of a two-part Business English Pod series on how to ask for a pay raise.

Asking for a pay raise makes many people uncomfortable, but it’s most definitely to our benefit to make the effort.

Getting a raise is more than just asking, though. Before the discussion can start, you need to prepare. Make a list of your achievements and quantify them with numbers and examples, if you can. It’s also helpful to get an idea of how your compensation compares to industry averages. You can easily find this information online or at the library. Remember that there can be more to compensation than salary, like health insurance, retirement plans, and stock options.

Today, we’ll listen as Ryan, a salesman at an industrial supply company called Pylon, discusses his salary with Jacob, his boss. Ryan would like a pay raise, but first, he needs to show Jacob why he deserves one. Notice how Ryan has thoroughly prepared for this meeting and is able to provide specific examples to support his case.

Listening Questions

1. Is Ryan is happy with his job? What reasons does he give?
2. Why is Ryan’s relationship with Alliance Builders important?
3. What is the difference in the pay structure for web design and sales work differ?

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ET 06 – Writing Requests to Senior Managers

Business English, Business Writing, English Video /
YouTube video

In this Email Tune-up lesson, we’re looking at an email from Jimmy, who is the training officer for his company. Jimmy wants to notify the various department heads of an upcoming seminar their staff will be attending. This is an internal email, which usually means it’s a bit more informal than something being sent outside the company. However, it’s being sent to managers at a higher rank than Jimmy’s, so the tone must be respectful and not too informal.

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BEP 146 – Money Idioms (Part 2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, Finance and Accounting /

This is the second of a two-part Business English Pod series on idioms related to money.

Many of our day-to-day business transactions involve money, so it’s common to hear money idioms used frequently in business discussions. We use them to talk about handling money and to describe situations with lots of money or no money at all. But we also use them to talk about situations that have nothing to do with money – such as evaluating ideas or speculating on their impact.

In the last episode, we met Kevin and Leah, two employees at a cosmetics company. They’re planning a promotional campaign on a small budget. So they’re brainstorming ideas that will spark customer interest at a reasonable cost.

Now, they’re thinking of ways to show that their company’s cosmetics line is good value for money-conscious consumers.

Listening Questions

1. What idea does Kevin suggest at the beginning of the dialog?
2. What are two things the company will have to do if it accepts Kevin’s idea?
3. What are Leah’s concerns about the idea?

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BEP 145 – Money Idioms (Part 1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, Finance and Accounting /

This is the first of a two-part Business English Pod series on idioms related to money.

It’s difficult to imagine business without money. After all, making money is the main goal of many businesses. Profits often determine a company’s success. And companies must spend money, and budget carefully, to reach their business goals. So, it’s not surprising money idioms are featured regularly in business conversations.

We’ll be covering many of these idioms today. Take note of them as you hear the dialog, but don’t worry if you don’t understand them the first time around. They’ll all be explained in the debrief and you’ll have a chance to practice them at the end.

We’ll be listening to Kevin and Leah, two colleagues at a mid-sized cosmetics company. Cosmetics is the industry name for make-up – products used to enhance a person’s appearance, such as mascara or eye shadow. They are discussing promotional plans for the coming year while working on a tight budget, so there isn’t much money to spend. Kevin and Leah don’t agree on the best way to spend the money and must find a compromise.

Listening Questions

1. What promotional plan does Kevin suggest?
2. Does Leah agree with this idea? Why or why not?
3. What does Kevin think the company needs to show?

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