Business English News | Business English Pod

Business English News 47 – Post-Pandemic Workplace

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, ESL Podcast / March 14, 2021

In this Business English News lesson we look at English vocabulary related to how the pandemic will change the workplace.

Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred incredible changes in how we work. At the end of 2020, a whopping 42% of the American workforce continued to work remotely. This has meant rapid upskilling and massive investments in technology and infrastructure.

According to Candace Helton, operations director at Ringspo, “It’s worth noting that 70% of companies have been working on digital transformation before the pandemic hit.” But the pandemic tipped their hands, and the resulting change in work cultures around the globe will push even more businesses to accept remote options as the new normal.

In this new normal, relationships are different. There are no corner offices in the virtual workplace, no staff rooms, and no cubicles. There are fewer physical reinforcements of hierarchy. And it’s oddly humanizing to see the CEO deal with the same interruptions, like kids and barking dogs, that we all experience working from home.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 46 – US Presidential Election 2020

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News / November 8, 2020

In this Business English News lesson we look at English vocabulary related to the US presidential election.

Days after the US election, the final result still hangs in the balance. While some networks have called the election for Biden, the process is far from over. So why don’t we have a final tally on election night? As the Independent points out:

An unprecedented number of Americans – 97 million by Monday, well over twice the number from 2016 – have voted by mail. And some states will count ballots that are delivered after the election if they are postmarked by a deadline. In Washington state, for example, mail-in ballots can still be counted on November 23. In Alaska state officials don’t even begin counting mail-in ballots until around November 10.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 45 – The 5G Revolution

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT and Tech / August 2, 2020

In this Business English News lesson we look at vocabulary related to technology and mobile communications.

There’s a lot of buzz around 5G technology these days. And it’s not just tech giants like Samsung, Ericsson and Huawei that are getting excited. Everyone from consumers to governments are paying attention. And with the excitement comes no small amount of controversy. But what’s all the hype about? And for starters, what exactly is 5G? Technology website Inventiva explains:

Put simply, 5G is an innovative mobile technology, which is expected to impact all aspects of our lives, including our homes, entertainment, work, and travel. In part, this is because it enables download speeds 10 to 20 times faster than the 4G networks of today. But it’s also much more responsive than the current networks, and allows many more devices to be connected to the internet. In short, it radically improves network bandwidth. With such speed and capacity, 5G is expected to transform everything around us.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 44 – Covid-19: Economic Impact

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, ESL Podcast / May 24, 2020

The world first heard about cases of a novel coronavirus on December 31st, 2019. In just two short months, the World Health Organization had declared a global pandemic. The impact on the world economy was instantaneous, as the World Economic Forum explains:

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit global trade and investment at an unprecedented speed and scale. Multinational companies faced an initial supply shock, then a demand shock as more and more countries ordered people to stay at home. Governments, businesses and individual consumers suddenly struggled to procure basic products and materials, and were forced to confront the fragility of the modern supply chain.

Now, as we approach summer, supply chains still don’t feel completely secure. Economic forecasts look pretty gloomy as nations emerging from lockdown attempt to kickstart their economies. The stock market, however, has provided some surprises amid the crisis.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 43 – Climate Change

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, ESL Podcast / February 18, 2020

Change is a constant, and the earth’s climate has never been perfectly stable. But in recent years the pace of climate change has accelerated to the point of crisis. Scientists around the world are sounding the alarm, and more and more people and institutions are realizing that drastic times require drastic measures. Business is not immune. According to the New York Times:

The Carbon Disclosure Project analyzed submissions from 215 of the world’s 500 biggest corporations. They found that these companies faced roughly $1 trillion in potential costs related to climate change in the decades ahead, unless they took proactive steps to prepare. By the companies’ own estimates, the bulk of those financial risks could start to materialize in the next five years or so.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3