UNIT ONE Big ideas - HPTarthur.hpt.at/php/online_links/links/LP_21114.pdf · 8 PEP – Personal Educational Professional 1 UNIT ONE: BIG IDEAS Mark the following statements true (T)

PEP – Personal Educational Professional 5

UNIT ONE 1Big ideas

TO DO

� Business; business aims; products, goods,

services

� Two Austrian company profiles

� Note-taking on written and spoken text

� Dummy subject ‘It’ for emphasis;

expressions with ‘business’

� Presentations – getting started

� Summary – finding headings for text

sections; completing one-sentence

summaries

� Talk about watches, weather trips, body art

� Retrieving info about weather trips and Ed

Hardy

6 PEP – Personal Educational Professional

1 UNIT ONE: BIG IDEAS

Monkey business �Here are some phrases with the word ‘business’ in them.

See if you can match the phrases with the definitions.

Phrases Definitions

1 business as usuala Behave yourself! No dishonest or unpleasant

actions intended to trick me!

2 business cardb situation that has returned to its normal state after

something unpleasant or surprising has happened

3 to get down to business c not to be so curious about what others are doing

4 to mind your own business d to begin seriously doing something you need to do

5 mom-and-pop businesse small card with a person’s name, business

affiliation, job title, contact details printed on it

6 monkey business f the entertainment business

7 (No) funny business!g small, independent and often family-run corner

shop-type business

8 show business h silly or unacceptable behaviour

1 ….. 2 ….. 3 ….. 4 ….. 5 ….. 6 ….. 7 ….. 8 …..

Complete the sentences with the appropriate phrase from the list. �

Careful – you may need to change the forms of nouns, verbs or pronouns.

1 They started out with just one …………………....…………………. in the district

where they lived.

2 She’s one of the all-time greats in …………………………………………. .

3 ‘Cut out the …………………………………………!’ said the gym teacher angrily.

4 Mrs Fox is so nosy! One of these days I’m going to tell her

………………………........................................…………. .

5 ‘No …………………………………………! You’ll regret it!’ shouted the detective.

6 We’ve been putting off talking about finances. Let’s …………………………………………. .

7 The day after the fire it was ………………………………………… at the high school.

8 If you do business in Japan, you need lots of …………………………………………. .

Now choose your three favourite phrases and use them in sentences of your own. �


UNIT ONE: BIG IDEAS 1

7

Business ABCs: Some basic questions

1

What is a business?

A business is an organisation that is set up to provide products. These

products could be, for example, yoghurt or computers (goods), or

tutoring sessions for students or beauty – in the shape of hair-cuts,

facials etc. (services).

Businesses may vary in size from one-person firms to large multinational

corporations.

2What’s the aim of a business?

The aim of a business is to operate at a profit. Some businesses may have non-material aims, too, raising

environmental or ethical awareness, for example, or integrating fringe groups of society, like disabled or

long-term unemployed people.

3

What does a business need in order to function?

In order to function a business needs resources:

raw materials (like milk, and possibly fruit, to make yoghurt)

manufactured goods (machines and tools; also sheet metal,

plastic, chips and other components for making computers,

office supplies etc.),

capital (money) in order to buy raw materials, machines,

parts and packaging and to pay bills for office space,

utilities, wages or taxes

labour (workers)

4

What kind of goods are there?

Producer goods are products made by one producer and sold to another. Examples: car or aircraft

components like tyres, batteries or engines.

Capital goods are usually expensive physical goods used in production processes: cranes, furnaces or

conveyor belt systems, for instance.

Consumer goods are the finished products (goods and services!) end-users buy.

5

Why do consumers buy products?

We have to satisfy certain basic needs in order to survive. We need food and drink, shelter and clothing.

We also have wants or desires for more: more clothes in trendy styles, entertainment (TV, MP3 players,

…), recreation (package holidays, sports equipment, mobility (motor scooters, quad bikes, …)

Our desires increase and change all the time. We could say they are unlimited.



Mark the following statements true (T) or false (F). � T F

1 Raw materials are needed in order to pay wages and taxes. O O

2 A business must have capital and labour in order to function. O O

3 Most businesses have non-material aims. O O

4 A business must consist of at least two people. O O

5 Capital goods cost a lot. O O

6 Selling package holidays is a service. O O

If the sentences are false, try to correct them.

Make up two T / F sentences of your own about the ABCs text and try them out on a �classmate. Decide whether the following goods are ‘producer’, ‘capital’ or ‘consumer’.

1 a gold ring …………………………………

2 a carpet …………………………………

3 computer chips …………………………………

4 frozen peas …………………………………

5 industrial diamonds …………………………………

6 jet engines for aircraft …………………………………

7 large furnace for smelting metal …………………………………

8 conveyor belt system for assembling cars …………………………………

9 machinery for dipping and drying chocolates …………………………………

10 snowboards …………………………………

11 steering wheels for cars …………………………………

12 teak fittings for yachts, e.g. flooring, shelves …………………………………

13 plastic containers for yoghurt …………………………………

14 smoothie …………………………………

Talk about it! 1 �Discuss whether the following are needs or wants in a cold climate.

a place to sleep out of the rain

a big ranch-style house with a swimming pool

new clothes every season

new mobile phone

flat-screen TV

shoes

something to drink

warm bedclothes or blankets

heating

double glazing

medication

bread

birthday cake



Language focus: It was the Romans who … �

It is the children who(m) I’m worried about.

Es sind die Kinder, um die ich mir Sorgen mache.

It was the Romans who built Hadrian’s Wall.

Es waren die Römer, die den Hadrianswall errichteten.

It is the basic needs (that) we have to satisfy first.

Es sind die Grundbedürfnisse, die wir zuerst befriedigen müssen.

In English, the verb agrees with ‘it’ in such sentences, in German the verb agrees with the actual subject of the

sentence (Kinder, Römer) and not with ‘es’. We use this structure to emphasise a part of a sentence.

Sheila found this book in a second-hand bookshop last year.

1 2 3 4

1 It was Sheila who found this book in a second-hand bookshop last year.

2 It was this book that Sheila found in a second-hand bookshop last year.

3 It was in a second-hand bookshop that Sheila found this book last year.

4 It was last year that Sheila found this book in a second-hand bookshop.

Now emphasise the different parts of this sentence in the same way. �

Robert left his laptop on the train on Wednesday.

1 2 3 4

1 ..................................................................................................................................................................

2 ..................................................................................................................................................................

3 ..................................................................................................................................................................

4 ..................................................................................................................................................................

K NoteAll those sentences are rather formal in style. There is also an informal way of expressing the same thing. Note the

differences between the formal and informal use of this structure:

Informal Formal

It’s me that’s (that is) sick, not you! It is I who am sick, not you!

It was you that was mistaken, not him. It was you who were mistaken, not he.

It’s the SIM card that’s faulty. It is the SIM card that is faulty.



Change these sentences so that the part in italics is stressed. �Example: He noticed her eyes first. ➭ It was her eyes that he noticed first.

1 Alastair proposed to her on New Year’s Eve, not James.

(formal) .........................................................................................................................................................

2 Eric is going to Panama, not his brother.

(informal) .....................................................................................................................................................

3 Non-material aims are becoming more and more important.

(formal) .........................................................................................................................................................

4 I know that I am to blame.

(informal) I know it’s ...................................................................................................................................

5 One needs capital to start a business.

(formal) .........................................................................................................................................................

Write an English version of the sentences below, using the ‘if’-construction. Decide �whether you want to use formal or informal style.

1 Es sind die Randgruppen der Gesellschaft, um die wir uns Sorgen machen.

2 Immer bin ich es, der die Rechnung bezahlt.

3 Es sind die Langzeitarbeitslosen, die es schwer finden, ihre Bedürfnisse zu befriedigen.

4 Es bist du, der sich dauernd beschwert.

5 Es sind neue Computer, die wir brauchen, nicht neue Uniformen.

6 Es sind die Nachhilfestunden, für die sie ihr ganzes Geld ausgibt.

X-FILES Read the following feature article and take notes on:

Swatch watches The Swatch Group

How many watches does a person need?asks Paul Harrison

A

Do you see your watch as a fashion accessory, worn for a season and then discarded or is the legendary Rolex or

Breitling your idea of the perfect timepiece?

What you feel doesn’t really matter to the current top manufacturers of fashionable and upmarket watches. But

what about other less prestigious brands? How do all the makers of these manage to make a profit?

The answer to this question would be that they don’t, or rather they didn’t. Over the past four decades the traditional

European watch-making industry, for instance, has been radically transformed.

Forty years ago consumers had taken to digital watches in a big way. And Japanese companies like Seiko were expan-

ding fast and pushing their products internationally. So the Swiss watch industry was in crisis. There was a real danger

that Swiss watchmakers would cease to be major players in the world wristwatch market.



How the text works �The article has been divided into four parts A to D.

1 What is each part about?

2 What is the function of the first part?

3 Devise a short heading for each of the other three parts.

BThank goodness, the most successful watch of all time, the Swatch, was launched in 1983. It was an innovative

product that combined new technology and materials, manufacturing expertise, daring design and quality with a

very competitive price. Synthetic materials were used for the watch cases and straps. Production was streamlined by

reducing the number of components by nearly half and using fully automated assembly.

In advertisements, Swatches were presented as fun, funky – and disposable. Incidentally, the name does not stand for

‘Swiss watch’, as many people think, but for ‘second watch’. Initially, the youth market was targeted.

In the 1980s, Swatch watches

took the world by storm. Each

new collection was an eagerly

awaited event. The company

entered into partnership with

well-known artists and thereby

extended its appeal to a wider

range of consumers.

These days, certain Swatch

models change hands for a small

fortune on eBay or at auctions.

And examples are on display in

museums around the world.

CThe Swatch was the brainchild of Nicolas Hayek. Though born in the Lebanon of Lebanese-American parents, Nicolas

Hayek has lived in Switzerland since his early childhood.

As head of a consulting firm, he had originally been called in to close down two struggling Swiss watch manufacturing

firms. However, he believed that restructuring and a different business focus could make the Swiss watch industry

competitive again, and he worked towards this aim for the next four years. Hayek subsequently became the Chairman

of what became known as the Swatch Group.

DThe Swatch Group has R & D laboratories, workshops, factories and boutiques which produce and distribute watch

components and watches, and even jewellery. It is the world’s second largest watch producer. The original range

of Swatch products has been diversified and now includes metal swatches, waterproof swatches for divers or an

internet-connected Swatch that downloads stock-market quotes or news headlines, for instance. You can even buy

a diamond-studded Swatch if you want to!

The Group has also acquired a number of luxury Swiss brands like Blancpain or Omega, as well as Flik Flak (children’s

watches), Calvin Klein or Rado to mention just a few names. This ensures that it is represented in each market

segment.

Well-known for its sponsorship of sport, beach volleyball, for example, the company has also supported all kinds of

projects for universities, institutions (like the Swiss Railways) and communities (like the City of Zurich).

Nicolas Hayek’s son, Nick Hayek Jr. has been CEO of the Group since 2003. He stresses that Swatch products are

about lifestyle and fashion and should have an emotional appeal to a mass market.



Find the English equivalents of the following German expressions in the text. �

einer Radikalkur unterziehen ………………………………………….

(Haupt)Akteure sein ………………………………………….

Einweg-, Wegwerf- ………………………………………….

im Sturm erobern ………………………………………….

Besitzer wechseln ………………………………………….

ein kleines Vermögen ………………………………………….

ausgestellt sein, gezeigt werden ………………………………………….

neuerdings, in letzter Zeit ………………………………………….

Forschung und Entwicklung ………………………………………….

mit Diamanten besetzt ………………………………………….

Put the appropriate information from the text into the Swatch watch product �description.

The original Swatch watch was a highly ………………………………….. product. It combined

…………………………..……………………, ……………………………………….……….., and

………………………………………… . Both ……………………………………… and …………………………….

were made of synthetic materials.

The Swatch was a ……………………………….. product but it sold at ………………………

……………………………………. . The number of ………………………………….. used was cut by nearly half

and assembly was ……………………………………………….. .

Swatch watches were meant to be ………………………………. and had a ……………………….,

……………………. image. To begin with, advertising targeted the …………………….. market. Nowadays

some Swatch models are …………………….……… in museums and sell for large amounts of money

………………………………………………….. .

Check your notes. �

Make up three questions about the Swatch Group, based on the article. See how quickly your classmates can

answer them, using their notes.



1 Talk about it! 2

Do you wear a watch?

Together with a partner, make up ten questions to do with watches and wearing them. When you have your list of

questions, try them out on another pair. Take your time answering the questions. You may want to use follow-up

questions.

Here are some questions to get you going:

1 Do you sleep with your watch on?

2 How many watches have you got?

3 If you have more than one watch, is there one you never wear?

4 Have you ever worn two watches at once?

Example:

A: OK, here’s our first question. Do you sleep with your watch on?

C: Uh, oh, no. I always take my watch off before I go to bed. I don't want it to get, um, bits in. Actually, sometimes

I forget to put it on in the morning.

A: What do you do then?

C: Oh, I look at my mobile phone. And there’s a clock in every classroom at school.

B: They’re not always right though. What about you? Do you sleep with your watch on?

D: Yeah, I wear my watch in bed. I shower with it, swim with it. No problem. It’s really good. It stands up to

anything.

A: Yes, so does mine! Thank you. Now it’s your turn to ask …

2 Listening: Two Austrian businesses

1 Listen to the two people talking about their businesses.

They are very enthusiastic and talk a lot, so don’t worry

about understanding all the things they say the first time

you listen. Just try to get an overall impression of what the recording is about. Take brief notes, concentrating on:

what type of businesses they are

and whether they are successful



You write �Now write a sentence about each business, as in the example. Choose the appropriate adjective in each case.

Example: Business X is an unsuccessful Austrian business that makes umbrella handles out of recycled plastic.

Business 1 is a successful / unsuccessful business that ......................................................................................

Business 2 is a thriving / struggling business that ................................................................................................

2 Now listen to the CD again and concentrate on details.

Fill in as much information as you can in the table below. Check the different headings before you start listening.

Afterwards together with someone else and compare what you have written down.

Business 1 Business 2

Size Size

Type of business Type of business

Location(s) Location(s)

Founded when? Founded when?

Founded by whom? Founded by whom?

Workforce Workforce

Achievements Achievements



Answer the following questions. �1 What was the ‘big idea’ that made business 1 successful?

2 Business 1 has a number of aims in addition to making a profit. What are they?

3 Does business 2 have any additional aims?

4 Why do you think people buy business 1’s products?

5 Which sort of people make use of business 2’s services?

6 Which extra service offered by business 2 is quite popular?

Talk about it! 3 �1 Do you or your family buy organic products? If yes, where do you get them from?

2 How do you react to wind? How does it make you feel, for instance?

3 Are you afraid of wind storms?

4 Do you think that it is important to take wind into consideration when planning buildings or settlements? Are

there things you think would be more important?

Internet activity Reading the web

Go to http://wetterreisen.at and find the answers to the questions:

1 How many ‘weather trips’ are offered?

2 Where can you go?

3 What is the focus of each trip?

4 What can you learn about in each case?

5 What kind of accommodation

and food are offered?

6 If you won one of these trips as a

prize in a draw, which one would

you choose and why?

’It was your idea to go on one of those weather trips!‘



Effective Presentations

K Note

The style you use in a presentation depends on how well you know your

audience. You will use a more informal style with colleagues or people who

are the same level as or junior to you. With listeners who are senior to you or

people you want to impress with your seriousness and knowledge, you will

use more formal vocabulary and grammar. The style used in the Checklist

examples is given at the beginning of each. In the TOOLBOX you will always

find informal and formal options.

CHECKLIST

Getting started (formal)

❑ Welcoming audienceGood morning, ladies and gentlemen! I would like to thank you all for coming.

❑ Introducing self / positionLet me introduce myself. I am Jack Parker from the Enterprise Council.

❑ Introducing topicThe topic of my presentation is how to identify a business opportunity.

❑ Explaining relevanceThis topic is of particular interest for you because you are all participating in the business start-ups programme.

Preview of talk (informal)

❑ Explaining structure

❑ Explaining timing

❑ Commenting on handouts

❑ Inviting questions

The main part (body) (formal)

❑ Making presentation easy to follow

❑ Referring to visuals

❑ Checking in with audience

Conclusion (informal)

❑ Signalling end of talk

❑ Summarising main points

❑ Recommending something

❑ Thanking audience

❑ Inviting questions



TOOLBOX

Getting startedAt the beginning of a presentation, you cover various formalities and then tell the audience what you are

going to talk about and why it is relevant.

Welcoming the audience

FORMAL INFORMAL

Introducing yourself / your position

FORMAL INFORMAL

Introducing your topic

FORMAL INFORMAL

Explaining the topic’s relevance to audience

FORMAL INFORMAL



3 Listen to two presenters getting started and make a note of:

– their names

– their positions / roles

– their topics

– why these topics are important / relevant to the audience

Which style does each one use? Tick the correct answer. �Presenter A formal ❑ informal ❑Presenter B formal ❑ informal ❑

Using the tools �Now work with a partner. Practise starting the following presentations in a formal and in an informal way.

Presentation 1

Name Alex Smith

Role Co-ordinator of school

Green Shop project

Topic Introducing organic and

Fair Trade products into the

school buffet

Relevance Chance to consume healthy

snacks while at school;

opportunity to get to know

Fair Trade products

Presentation 2

Name Jay Norris

Role Manager of the band Casino

Boys

Topic What I do and why I like it:

managing a music group

Relevance Looking for opportunities to

practise transferable

business skills

Body art

In recent years, pop music, cinema or football celebs have been pictured

in magazines ‘wearing’ their latest body art and this has had an impact on

what could be called the body art industry. Countless tattoo and piercing

businesses have opened.

What many people don’t realise is the role played by art in the tattoo business.

Don Ed Hardy, for example, is a highly respected and successful American

alternative artist. He fulfilled his childhood ambition to become a tattoo artist

after studying Fine Arts and then learning from traditional tattoo masters in

Hawaii and Japan. The Asian influence in his work is very strong.

Ed Hardy has retired from doing actual tattoos, but he still mentors tattoo

artists at Tattoo City, his studio in San Francisco, where he insists on the

highest standards of design – and hygiene.

Ed Hardy stencils are used by tattoo artists everywhere. The rights to Ed

Hardy designs have also been licensed to clothing manufacturers. The

first Ed Hardy clothing line was produced in 2002 and subsequently the

successful Ed Hardy brand was launched by Christian Audigier.

Audigier chose to market exclusive Ed Hardy t-shirts with the help of celebrities from stage, screen and sport.

His Ed Hardy line, and imitations of it, have proved very popular with young people



Talk about it! 4 �1 In some British schools, pupils with nose or forehead jewels are asked to have them removed as the

wearing of jewellery is forbidden. In other schools, students with studs or rings are not allowed to take part in

sports lessons for fear of injury. Are there any restrictions on body art or body jewellery in your school?

2 Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo or a piece of body jewellery like a lip or eyebrow ring or stud, or a

nose or forehead jewel?

3 Why do you think the highest standards of hygiene are important in the body art industry?

4 Would you be willing to pay the equivalent of $150 to $200 for an original Ed Hardy t-shirt? Why / Why not?

Internet activity Reading the Web

http://www.tattoocitysf.com. You can find out what happens there, browse the

artists’ tattoo portfolios and decide if you like the Ed Hardy line of clothing.

http://donedhardy.com you can see how Audigier uses celebrities in his marketing and find out which other

products are available in addition to tshirts.

CHECKLIST REVIEW OK

I am familiar with the use and meaning of the terms ‘business’, ‘product’, ‘goods’,

‘services’, ‘wants’ and ‘needs’, in a business context.

I know some idiomatic expressions with ‘business’.

I can change the emphasis of sentences by using ‘It’ at the beginning.

I can grasp the overall meaning of spoken as well as written company profiles.

I know it is a good idea to use headings when making notes on spoken and written texts.

I can scan or listen for missing information to complete a written text.

I have started to work on short summaries of what written and spoken texts are about.

I am beginning to be aware of the difference between formal and informal style.

I know how to welcome an audience, introduce myself and the topic I am going to

present, and explain the topic’s relevance, in both formal and informal style.

I can (still!) form and answer ‘Wh-‘ and Yes / No questions.

I can carry out assignments about weather trips and Ed Hardy by using information from

the internet.

I have started to practise expressing my opinion, speculating, and agreeing and disagree-

ing with what my classmates say.



Mystery pic �Here are some hints to help you solve the mystery.

Don’t forget to use the expressions in the TOOLBOX

when you discuss the photo.

1 The photo shows a yellow car. Which kind of car

is yellow like this?

2 Which way is the car going? Is the man sitting in

the front or the back? Does he look nervous or

quite comfortable?

3 What are the two men you can see on each side

of the picture doing? Are they concentrating on

something?

4 What’s the scaffolding for? What’s the blue thing

on the right-hand side? Why is part of the car’s

window and windscreen covered up?

5 New York City, where this photo was taken, may not be the US

capital of this industry. But a lot of the industry’s products are set

there.

Answer the questions, think about the clue and then come up with an

explanation for what the photo shows.

TOOLBOX

Expressing opinion

Speculating

Being certain

Aha-experience

Agreeing

Disagreeing

Documents

UNIT ONE Big ideas - HPTarthur.hpt.at/php/online_links/links/LP_21114.pdf · 8 PEP – Personal Educational Professional 1 UNIT ONE: BIG IDEAS Mark the following statements true (T)