For advanced English students who would like extra practice on these complex structures.
Follow the links to this amazing blog.
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com/2011/05/participles-and-participle-clauses.html
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com/2011/01/making-sense-of-negative-inversion.html
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Monday 28 November 2011
Writing Skills focusing on Cohesive Devices
For Advanced English students who want to improve their writing skills look at the link for an excellent PDF file on cohesive devices http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/cohesive-devices-list-of-items-for-writing-a-composition.pdf
Friday 25 November 2011
Past /Present/ Future in Costa Rica
Read the summary of The State of the Nation, focusing on trends and forecasting. Costa Rica at a crossroads / Top Story / Current Edition / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Useful Prepositions
An 11-page PDF file giving Spanish speakers help with Prepositions
http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/prepositions2.pdf
http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/prepositions2.pdf
Monday 14 November 2011
"Undercover Boss"
Read the review and advice for bosses. In Costa Rica you can watch the first season on cable tv Be an "Undercover Boss" - Robert M. Galford - Harvard Business Review
Advanced Business English students should have plenty to say about this reality tv show.
Advanced Business English students should have plenty to say about this reality tv show.
Monday 7 November 2011
Cars and Business Alliances
Relevant article for Business English advanced students. Read the BBC article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14877009
and identify words used to talk about alliances and projects.
and identify words used to talk about alliances and projects.
Thursday 20 October 2011
Nouns and determiners
Following on from the positive response for help for Spanish speakers check out http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/nouns-and-pronouns.pdf.
http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/nouns1.pdf
http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/nouns-in-groups1.pdf
http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/nouns1.pdf
http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/nouns-in-groups1.pdf
Monday 10 October 2011
Verb Patterns
Everthing that you need to know about verb patterns with help for Spanish speakers. http://percybal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/verb-patterns1.pdf
Saturday 8 October 2011
Creating timelines online
An advanced English student gave a fabulous presentation of his life using http://www.tiki-toki.com/
The other students in the group couldn't wait to get home and start creating their own timelines.
The other students in the group couldn't wait to get home and start creating their own timelines.
Friday 7 October 2011
Follow on Twitter
I'm tweeting general English news articles for advanced English students rather than adding them to the Financial English blog
http://twitter.com/#!/strehernethomas
http://twitter.com/#!/strehernethomas
IH Costa Rica on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/IHSJBritanico#!/IHSJBritanico?sk=wall
New era begins in the new building
New era begins in the new building
Monday 19 September 2011
Conditionals in songs
For Advanced English students.
Follow the link to the webpage on Conditionals, listen to the song clips from You Tube and try to identify the conditional forms. Make a note of the tricky contractions in the lyrics.
http://www.gapfillers.co.uk/conditional-sentences
This suberb website has excellent advanced English resources, check out the word, phrase, idiom of the week.
Follow the link to the webpage on Conditionals, listen to the song clips from You Tube and try to identify the conditional forms. Make a note of the tricky contractions in the lyrics.
http://www.gapfillers.co.uk/conditional-sentences
This suberb website has excellent advanced English resources, check out the word, phrase, idiom of the week.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Business English Strategy
Relevant for Market Leader Advanced unit 7 case study follow up discussion and to prepare for unit 9 Strategy.
Follow the link and watch the interview about VW and business strategy..
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bi/archive/2011/06/01/formulating-business-strategy-using-key-metrics-and-the-balanced-scorecard.aspx
Follow the link and watch the interview about VW and business strategy..
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bi/archive/2011/06/01/formulating-business-strategy-using-key-metrics-and-the-balanced-scorecard.aspx
Thursday 8 September 2011
Car industry and the future
From tutor2u website - an interesting analysis on the car industry. Advanced business English students can use this as background reading for a discussion related to the ML Advanced unit 7 case study.
Alliances - benefits of scale without the risks?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Is there the potential for some firms to enjoy economies of scale and the benefits of size, without risking a potentially disastrous merger? The boss of Renault Nissan thinks so and is continuing to hype his alliance model as the way forward in the car industry. We’ve heard about ‘co-opetition’ before: how would it work out this business? As the Economist has recently explained, the Renault Nissan alliance “really is like a marriage”. Renault owns 44% of Nissan, which in turn holds 15% of Renault. They purchase most of their parts jointly, and have gradually learned to share engineering expertise, such as Renault’s strength in diesel engines and Nissan’s in petrol ones. The boss argues that it has also made Nissan more daring and Renault more cosmopolitan.
Then in 2002 Nissan launched what has proved to be a successful joint venture in China, now the world’s most important car market. In late 2007 Nissan beat General Motors to become a strategic partner to a big Russian carmaker, taking a 25% stake. Next came Daimler. The alliance will focus on sharing resources in four main areas: car ‘platforms’, small petrol and diesel engines; technology for fully electric and hybrid cars; and bigger diesel engines.
Why are economies of scale so important in car manufacturing? The article highlights three main reasons:
-Under pressure to boost fuel efficiency and cut carbon emissions, carmakers are spending huge sums on R+D.
-There needs to be extra investment in substantial new manufacturing capacity and dealer networks in the emerging markets that are generating nearly all the industry’s growth.
-You can no longer survive as a niche player specialising in small cars or luxury vehicles. To cover overheads, big car manufacturers must cover every segment.
It’s not clear if a web of alliances can deliver all this. Even where full mergers have taken place (as with the disastrous union between Daimler and Chrysler) savings have proved difficult to find because engineers from one side are unwilling to share ideas and resources with the other. After 11 years and much effort, some argue, Renault and Nissan have yet to equal the efficiencies of the various arms of VW Group or Toyota, which are both tightly integrated and centrally managed.
Are other car firms following suit? VW sees the 20% stake it took late last year in Suzuki, which is strong in India and in small cars, as a “critical” step towards surpassing Toyota as the world’s biggest car company. PSA Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi are keen to deepen their ties. And although Fiat has in effect taken control of Chrysler despite owning only 20% of the American firm, it is adopting a similar management structure to Renault and Nissan.
Monday 5 September 2011
Article on Costa Rica and the economy
Advanced Business English students can read this article and discuss how their own organisation is planning for the future
The Pygmalion Effect & Costa RicaBy John R. Holtz*
What is truly difficult to do, and I really want do it, is write a lot of positive editorials about Costa Rica other than the expected such as our natural beauty, wildlife and inviting beaches that have been written about and publicized time after time.
But I scan all of the news outlets, even the Latin Business News, it comes down to asking myself, “How come so many other countries in Latin American are not drowning in poor economics and we are?”
Look at Chile, Brazil, Panama and even little Uruguay. They are thriving and we are digressing. The shout-it-out “Pura Vida” has become a semi-intelligible mumble which is barely audible.
The United States and Europe are not the only places on earth to see consumer confidence plunge and a possible recession close at hand; put our own Costa Rica on that list as well. My concern is focused on Costa Rica because that is where we live and there is a sense of sadness and disappointment that is permeating among both expats and Ticos alike.
Certainly perception has a lot to do with it and so does reality. In Costa Rica, mix the two in equal parts and we have the recipe for abject failure.
We are a small, compact country. The ripples in the water are felt from here to Guanacaste and from there to the Osa Peninsula. We talk, and we talk and we talk some more each time an exaggeration, more distortion along with flat out untruths that eventually become reality.
The newest trend to get published is to do an encuesta – a poll. Do one, release it to the media and it will become fact. Some are legit like from Unimar and University of Costa Rica (UCR) and El Financiero while many are just whamo numbers.
Much like the U.S., which we mirror, the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) of this country has dropped five full points in three short months according to the UCR pollsters.
The “optimistic group” declined from 21.5% of the population to only 13.9% while the “pessimistic group” increased by 27.9%.
El Financiero´s 27 economists or “analysts” as they refer to them said that 61% believe Costa Rica will be in a recession within five years. Meanwhile, 66.2% believe the current economic conditions and social conditions are “poor”.
Only 6% approve of the government´s economic policy while a measly 6.4% say the government is doing a good job. (UCR)
At a recent celebration honoring municipality work, President Chinchilla told them, “You will need to do more with less.” Those are not very encouraging words and the press picked it up that day.
To sell, not market, the Draconian fiscal (tax) plan Laura Chinchilla and her sidekick, Minister of Economy (Ministerio de Hacienda) Fernando Herrero have repeatedly played the “scare card” in order to tax just about all that can be taxed.
Both, with a lot of help, are selling catch all fear. They sell simple fear that we will dissolve into the pits of destruction and poverty unless we pass their unabridged tax plan.
Last Thursday, Herrero said, “We are living on the brink.” Again, less than enthusiastic words to promote confidence.
Since 1948 Costa Rica has lived “on the brink” from borrowing money in the international market place and I have not noticed an appreciable difference in the social network. As well, we have been able to attract foreign investment in call centers and the tech companies such as Intel, Boston Scientific and Panasonic, to name a few.
Costa Ricans and expats have the absolute right to be pessimistic if not downright depressed because we are being told to feel this way almost daily.
It boils down to the Pygmalion effect: A self fulfilling prophecy. If enough times and enough people keep on repeating that Costa Rica will fall apart, we will and I do not want that to happen.
Massive taxes, under no circumstance will cure the economic and social ills of Costa Rica and I´ll argue that to the grave.
We very much need leadership, positive leadership that offers both a defined direction and economic opportunities. What we do not need are more scare tactics to pass a tax plan and if we do not, the people of this country need to prepare themselves for Armageddon.
The construction industry, Costa Rica´s largest private employer, laid off 35,000 to 40,000 workers in 2008 and 2009. Then in late 2010 and the first half of 2011, new construction projects bounced back again. However, the forecast for the remainder of 2011 and early 2012 is not to realize new projects but only to finish up those in progress.
Why?
Who in their right mind would invest in a country where taxes and tax collection have not yet been defined? And the proposal which is floating around from the central government would tax rents, education, healthcare, global income, real estate and for the first time, capital gains. We really have not been told what good will come from all these taxes, only the great harm that will befall upon us by not having them.
A clear example of how the government intends to manage Costa Rica´s finances was the release of the national budget by the Ministry of Economy.
After all the feel-good rhetoric that finally something is about to be done concerning rampant crime, the 2012 budget calls for an increase in funding of a meager 6%. Subtract an expected 5% inflation rate and, “yes,” that comes down to a net 1% increase. That means the proposed $300 corporate tax will pay for the much needed security measures or perhaps frittered away for something else. Who really knows?
The central government also plans to borrow 47% of the entire 2012 budget just to pay salaries which La Naciόn claims to be an illegal move since the constitution prohibits borrowing money to pay current obligations.
The true fear factor of Ticos and expats is that the CR government will abuse or steal whatever money is raised from taxes as historically been the case. If we could be assured of transparency and if we could be assured our money would be used for in-country development and not to put more fat on an already obese government while continuing to feed the still untamed dragon of corruption, I think we would have passed, at least in part, this plan a year ago.
For now, selling fear and avoiding hard questions is about all we've got while never saying, “…here is the good that we will do with your money.” Ergo, our nation continues to walk on with its self-fulfilling “poor me” prophecy when in fact we are economically and socially bankrupt, not poor.*John Holtz can be reached at jrh@modernmanagement.org
The Pygmalion Effect & Costa RicaBy John R. Holtz*
What is truly difficult to do, and I really want do it, is write a lot of positive editorials about Costa Rica other than the expected such as our natural beauty, wildlife and inviting beaches that have been written about and publicized time after time.
But I scan all of the news outlets, even the Latin Business News, it comes down to asking myself, “How come so many other countries in Latin American are not drowning in poor economics and we are?”
Look at Chile, Brazil, Panama and even little Uruguay. They are thriving and we are digressing. The shout-it-out “Pura Vida” has become a semi-intelligible mumble which is barely audible.
The United States and Europe are not the only places on earth to see consumer confidence plunge and a possible recession close at hand; put our own Costa Rica on that list as well. My concern is focused on Costa Rica because that is where we live and there is a sense of sadness and disappointment that is permeating among both expats and Ticos alike.
Certainly perception has a lot to do with it and so does reality. In Costa Rica, mix the two in equal parts and we have the recipe for abject failure.
We are a small, compact country. The ripples in the water are felt from here to Guanacaste and from there to the Osa Peninsula. We talk, and we talk and we talk some more each time an exaggeration, more distortion along with flat out untruths that eventually become reality.
The newest trend to get published is to do an encuesta – a poll. Do one, release it to the media and it will become fact. Some are legit like from Unimar and University of Costa Rica (UCR) and El Financiero while many are just whamo numbers.
Much like the U.S., which we mirror, the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) of this country has dropped five full points in three short months according to the UCR pollsters.
The “optimistic group” declined from 21.5% of the population to only 13.9% while the “pessimistic group” increased by 27.9%.
El Financiero´s 27 economists or “analysts” as they refer to them said that 61% believe Costa Rica will be in a recession within five years. Meanwhile, 66.2% believe the current economic conditions and social conditions are “poor”.
Only 6% approve of the government´s economic policy while a measly 6.4% say the government is doing a good job. (UCR)
At a recent celebration honoring municipality work, President Chinchilla told them, “You will need to do more with less.” Those are not very encouraging words and the press picked it up that day.
To sell, not market, the Draconian fiscal (tax) plan Laura Chinchilla and her sidekick, Minister of Economy (Ministerio de Hacienda) Fernando Herrero have repeatedly played the “scare card” in order to tax just about all that can be taxed.
Both, with a lot of help, are selling catch all fear. They sell simple fear that we will dissolve into the pits of destruction and poverty unless we pass their unabridged tax plan.
Last Thursday, Herrero said, “We are living on the brink.” Again, less than enthusiastic words to promote confidence.
Since 1948 Costa Rica has lived “on the brink” from borrowing money in the international market place and I have not noticed an appreciable difference in the social network. As well, we have been able to attract foreign investment in call centers and the tech companies such as Intel, Boston Scientific and Panasonic, to name a few.
Costa Ricans and expats have the absolute right to be pessimistic if not downright depressed because we are being told to feel this way almost daily.
It boils down to the Pygmalion effect: A self fulfilling prophecy. If enough times and enough people keep on repeating that Costa Rica will fall apart, we will and I do not want that to happen.
Massive taxes, under no circumstance will cure the economic and social ills of Costa Rica and I´ll argue that to the grave.
We very much need leadership, positive leadership that offers both a defined direction and economic opportunities. What we do not need are more scare tactics to pass a tax plan and if we do not, the people of this country need to prepare themselves for Armageddon.
The construction industry, Costa Rica´s largest private employer, laid off 35,000 to 40,000 workers in 2008 and 2009. Then in late 2010 and the first half of 2011, new construction projects bounced back again. However, the forecast for the remainder of 2011 and early 2012 is not to realize new projects but only to finish up those in progress.
Why?
Who in their right mind would invest in a country where taxes and tax collection have not yet been defined? And the proposal which is floating around from the central government would tax rents, education, healthcare, global income, real estate and for the first time, capital gains. We really have not been told what good will come from all these taxes, only the great harm that will befall upon us by not having them.
A clear example of how the government intends to manage Costa Rica´s finances was the release of the national budget by the Ministry of Economy.
After all the feel-good rhetoric that finally something is about to be done concerning rampant crime, the 2012 budget calls for an increase in funding of a meager 6%. Subtract an expected 5% inflation rate and, “yes,” that comes down to a net 1% increase. That means the proposed $300 corporate tax will pay for the much needed security measures or perhaps frittered away for something else. Who really knows?
The central government also plans to borrow 47% of the entire 2012 budget just to pay salaries which La Naciόn claims to be an illegal move since the constitution prohibits borrowing money to pay current obligations.
The true fear factor of Ticos and expats is that the CR government will abuse or steal whatever money is raised from taxes as historically been the case. If we could be assured of transparency and if we could be assured our money would be used for in-country development and not to put more fat on an already obese government while continuing to feed the still untamed dragon of corruption, I think we would have passed, at least in part, this plan a year ago.
For now, selling fear and avoiding hard questions is about all we've got while never saying, “…here is the good that we will do with your money.” Ergo, our nation continues to walk on with its self-fulfilling “poor me” prophecy when in fact we are economically and socially bankrupt, not poor.*John Holtz can be reached at jrh@modernmanagement.org
Monday 22 August 2011
Costa Rica Investment and construction
Business and Financial English students, especially those studying Advanced Market Leader (unit 7) can read this article and identify vocabulary and phrases to talk about trends and future predictions.
Costa Rican builders cautious despite sector growth / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
This could lead to a discussion on how these trends will affect the student's company and future investment opportunities.
Costa Rican builders cautious despite sector growth / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
This could lead to a discussion on how these trends will affect the student's company and future investment opportunities.
Tuesday 16 August 2011
Financial English Costa Rica
Business and Financial English students can read an article in English on the latest turbulence in the financial markets. Lots of good vocab related to trends and large figures.
Costa Rica braces for economic storm / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Costa Rica braces for economic storm / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Monday 1 August 2011
USA Debt Clock
Statistics and very big numbers.
How fast can you say them!
www.usdebtclock.org/
Thanks for the link James.
How fast can you say them!
www.usdebtclock.org/
Thanks for the link James.
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Credit crisis
For the short and simple story.
Go to http://crisisofcredit.com/
Business and Financial English students can watch and listen and discuss the issues.
James, many thanks for the link.
Go to http://crisisofcredit.com/
Business and Financial English students can watch and listen and discuss the issues.
James, many thanks for the link.
Friday 22 July 2011
Cars and astronauts
Follow the link to an article that students can use to discuss choices of cars
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8631908/My-other-car-is-a-Space-Shuttle....html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8631908/My-other-car-is-a-Space-Shuttle....html
Thursday 14 July 2011
Business and Golf
From the BBC business website students can watch, read and listen to the business behind the sport of golf and the British Open Golf Championship. Then students can discuss their own experiences of corporate sponsorship and hospitality.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14042846
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14042846
Monday 11 July 2011
Vigilance -Travel and crime
| U.S. Embassy video chronicles a really bad trip here | |
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff What can happen to a tourist here who does not pay attention to basic security precautions? That's the premise of a YouTube video produced by the U.S. Embassy here that seeks to promote vigilance. The answer is that the tourist could end up in the consular section of the embassy one morning wearing one sandal and stripped of all possessions. Johnathan Roy, a vice consul, has the only speaking role. He's a friendly Gringo giving safety tips to a forlorn man who has been victimized even before he left the airport. That is where he lost his luggage to a thief, according to the video. The man's visit goes downhill from there. He meets pretty girls in a bar, and when he wakes up, his backpack is gone. At the beach he leaves his car keys on the sand along with his few remaining possessions. That's where he loses a sandal as well as the car. Roy said the video was a joint effort between the Consulate staff and the Public Affairs Office. Actors were embassy staffers. Students can watch and listen and identify crime-related vocabulary. The video could generate a discussion on their own travel and crime experiences. | T |
Saturday 11 June 2011
Business English Costa Rica pineapples and sustainability
This is an interesting article to read and business English students can identify the vocabulary of CSR ethics and the language used to present conflicting points of view. It would be a relevant topic for discussion for Market Leader Advanced unit 6 Business ethics and problem-solving.
Follow the link to Tico Times
http://www.ticotimes.net/News/Top-Story/Industry-regulations-keep-pineapple-environment-safe-say-Costa-Rica-producers_Friday-June-10-2011
Follow the link to Tico Times
http://www.ticotimes.net/News/Top-Story/Industry-regulations-keep-pineapple-environment-safe-say-Costa-Rica-producers_Friday-June-10-2011
Thursday 9 June 2011
To practise the language of comparison The Global Debt clock
Thanks James for the great link from the Economist.
Lots of fantastic data for Business English students to compare and to practise saying extremely large numbers and to use as a basis for a discussion in class.
http://www.economist.com/content/global_debt_clock
Lots of fantastic data for Business English students to compare and to practise saying extremely large numbers and to use as a basis for a discussion in class.
http://www.economist.com/content/global_debt_clock
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Bridgestone expands financial service centre in Costa Rica
From Tico Times
Bridgestone expands operations in Costa Rica / News Briefs / News / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Check the words in the article related to investment and expansion
Bridgestone expands operations in Costa Rica / News Briefs / News / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Check the words in the article related to investment and expansion
Thursday 2 June 2011
PUMA’s environmental profit and loss account
Today PUMA, the German based sportswear producer, published a detailed environmental profit and loss account (E P&L) which makes it the first global business to put value on all the resources used in production and the likely environmental impact caused. PUMA worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Trucost to develop a method to quantify the emissions it generates and the water consumed throughout its supply chain. An example is water used in the production of cotton, which in many cases is produced in areas where water is particularly scarce and the price paid for water fails to meet the true cost of water supply. PUMA are one of the first global companies to acknowledge the need to take environmental effects into account when making business decisions. The company estimates that, in 2010, the environmental cost of its supply chain was €94.4m. The UK government is shortly due to make a decision on whether large companies should be forced to publish an annual report detailing the environmental impact of their activities.
More on environmental economics
More on environmental economics
Friday 20 May 2011
'Too Big to Fail ' HBO film
HBO have made a film portraying the banking crisis of 2008.
Follow the link for a review of the film and then check you tube's trailers.
Media Life Magazine - 'Too Big to Fail,' a big story, well told
For background vocabulary check back to the posting on Nov 8th 2010.
Follow the link for a review of the film and then check you tube's trailers.
Media Life Magazine - 'Too Big to Fail,' a big story, well told
For background vocabulary check back to the posting on Nov 8th 2010.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Business English Metaphors from Macmillan
Please follow the link to the Macmillan blog and then check their Business English links.
The bottom line on trickle-down Macmillan
The bottom line on trickle-down Macmillan
Friday 6 May 2011
Niche market Luxury Coffee
From tutor2u-
How much would you as a customer pay for coffee roasted from beans passed by a civet?
In Venice an expresso in coffee bars close to Piazza San Marco may cost the customer €1.50, if you like to drink coffee standing up, should you want to sit down, you have added another €1.00 to the bill.
On the other hand, sitting in St Mark’s Square at Florian, or one of its rivals will mean the expresso is €10.50. You would be paying for the pressed linen table cloth, the seat, the attention of a waiter in a smart white jacketed uniform, and a wonderful view across a world heritiage site. Should the band, play more consumer surplus is extracted, there is a surcharge of €6.00.
However, how much would you pay for coffee made with beans excreted by a civet.
“It looks different, it smells different, and most importantly it tastes different. Coffee connoisseurs usually give two reasons for civet coffee’s unique taste - the fact that the civets self-select the juiciest coffee cherries, which in turn give the best beans, and the fact that - once inside the civet - these beans are fermented by enzymes in the stomach.After being thoroughly washed and roasted, the end product lacks the bitterness of some ordinary coffees and has a soft, chocolaty flavour.”
Somehow the firm’s owners had found out that coffee roasted from beans excreted from civets commanded high prices and switched to output of this high end coffee. “Bags of coffee beans can fetch up to $800 (£500) per kilogramme in Japan or the US, and coffee shops in New York sell just one cup for about $50.”
Needless to say the market has a number of niches, civet coffee made from beans excreted by wild civies may command a higher price than the beans passed by farmed civets - are they fed with all natural ingedients? is there a fairtrade civet coffee brand?
Ask yourself would you order Café Alamid, or at those prices would you have someone order it for you?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12959381
How much would you as a customer pay for coffee roasted from beans passed by a civet?
In Venice an expresso in coffee bars close to Piazza San Marco may cost the customer €1.50, if you like to drink coffee standing up, should you want to sit down, you have added another €1.00 to the bill.
On the other hand, sitting in St Mark’s Square at Florian, or one of its rivals will mean the expresso is €10.50. You would be paying for the pressed linen table cloth, the seat, the attention of a waiter in a smart white jacketed uniform, and a wonderful view across a world heritiage site. Should the band, play more consumer surplus is extracted, there is a surcharge of €6.00.
However, how much would you pay for coffee made with beans excreted by a civet.
“It looks different, it smells different, and most importantly it tastes different. Coffee connoisseurs usually give two reasons for civet coffee’s unique taste - the fact that the civets self-select the juiciest coffee cherries, which in turn give the best beans, and the fact that - once inside the civet - these beans are fermented by enzymes in the stomach.After being thoroughly washed and roasted, the end product lacks the bitterness of some ordinary coffees and has a soft, chocolaty flavour.”
Somehow the firm’s owners had found out that coffee roasted from beans excreted from civets commanded high prices and switched to output of this high end coffee. “Bags of coffee beans can fetch up to $800 (£500) per kilogramme in Japan or the US, and coffee shops in New York sell just one cup for about $50.”
Needless to say the market has a number of niches, civet coffee made from beans excreted by wild civies may command a higher price than the beans passed by farmed civets - are they fed with all natural ingedients? is there a fairtrade civet coffee brand?
Ask yourself would you order Café Alamid, or at those prices would you have someone order it for you?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12959381
Thursday 5 May 2011
Costa Rica and Language proficiency
Business English students might be interested in this letter
Language Proficiency Key to Labor Development / Letters to the Editor / Opinion / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Language Proficiency Key to Labor Development / Letters to the Editor / Opinion / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Friday 29 April 2011
Currency exchange
Business English students: Check the vocabulary used to talk about trends and currency in Costa Rica.
Colón stronger as dollar nears all-time low / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Colón stronger as dollar nears all-time low / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Bribery in Costa Rica
Ex-Prez Miguel Ángel Rodríguez receives 5-year jail term in bribe case / News Briefs / News / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Business English students can check the vocab related to bribery and corruption in the article.
Business English students can check the vocab related to bribery and corruption in the article.
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Fairtrade - Coffee and Cafe Britt in Costa Rica
This article is from the Daily Telegraph 2008 but is relevant for Business English students studying New Market Leader Intermediate unit 9 Trade
.http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/alexsingleton/4019311/The_poverty_of_Fairtrade_coffee/
.http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/alexsingleton/4019311/The_poverty_of_Fairtrade_coffee/
Friday 15 April 2011
Globalisation Free trade a myth The Tico Times
Business English students might be interested in this article on Free trade in developing nations
Expert: Free trade a myth / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Expert: Free trade a myth / Business & Real Estate / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times
Thursday 10 March 2011
Financial English Newsletter
From Financial English/ACCA Global:
Cambridge Financial English at Siemens
As a blended learning course, the Cambridge Financial English programme offers students a mix of online study and face to face tuition with a teacher, tutor or mentor. Ideal for those balancing study with other commitments, blended learning is also an excellent way for employers to offer their staff expert, accredited, targeted tuition - as is currently the case in Germany where engineering giant Siemens is trialling the Cambridge Financial English programme for key staff.
Siemens is one of the world's largest companies, with over 120,000 employees in Germany alone. The international nature of Siemens' business means that excellent English skills are an important advantage, especially for the finance team, as James Schofield - Siemens training manager and tutor on the Cambridge Financial English programme – explains: 'All course participants are involved, directly or indirectly, with the management of Siemens' revenues. Some are IT specialists responsible for software which handles quarterly and year end closing, or which oversees Siemens' investments. Other students have accounting or control responsibilities, but all are likely to come across financial English terminology in some form or another.'
In order to fit the programme around work commitments, the course comprises 25 hours classroom based teaching, in groups of up to 20 students, and 75 hours online study. Having only launched in November 2010, James is finding that students are still getting used to the different approach that blended learning demands. 'Students prefer face to face tuition, but this is not possible – or cost-effective – as currently 10 of our 30 learners are located in the north of Germany,' he explains. 'As a result, we are offering Net Meetings every two months as an opportunity for feedback and discussion, and looking at other ways in which we can improve communication between groups and support online study.’
'From the employer's perspective, however, blended learning offers many advantages as it allows us to deliver a consistently high quality course to all employees wherever they are located, as they can study whenever they have access to an online computer.'
The course, designed for those who already speak reasonable English, develops the skills required to use English confidently in an accounting or finance environment: 'All those in our current group of 30 learners have been pre-selected according to their current English language ability and the relevance of the programme to their job,' comments James. 'Vocabulary expansion is particularly useful in this context, but the whole programme is very attractive– the material is relevant, high quality and well put together, and the classroom material is excellent, encouraging students to practise what they have learnt through plausible simulations and role plays.'
Cambridge Financial English at Siemens
As a blended learning course, the Cambridge Financial English programme offers students a mix of online study and face to face tuition with a teacher, tutor or mentor. Ideal for those balancing study with other commitments, blended learning is also an excellent way for employers to offer their staff expert, accredited, targeted tuition - as is currently the case in Germany where engineering giant Siemens is trialling the Cambridge Financial English programme for key staff.
Siemens is one of the world's largest companies, with over 120,000 employees in Germany alone. The international nature of Siemens' business means that excellent English skills are an important advantage, especially for the finance team, as James Schofield - Siemens training manager and tutor on the Cambridge Financial English programme – explains: 'All course participants are involved, directly or indirectly, with the management of Siemens' revenues. Some are IT specialists responsible for software which handles quarterly and year end closing, or which oversees Siemens' investments. Other students have accounting or control responsibilities, but all are likely to come across financial English terminology in some form or another.'
In order to fit the programme around work commitments, the course comprises 25 hours classroom based teaching, in groups of up to 20 students, and 75 hours online study. Having only launched in November 2010, James is finding that students are still getting used to the different approach that blended learning demands. 'Students prefer face to face tuition, but this is not possible – or cost-effective – as currently 10 of our 30 learners are located in the north of Germany,' he explains. 'As a result, we are offering Net Meetings every two months as an opportunity for feedback and discussion, and looking at other ways in which we can improve communication between groups and support online study.’
'From the employer's perspective, however, blended learning offers many advantages as it allows us to deliver a consistently high quality course to all employees wherever they are located, as they can study whenever they have access to an online computer.'
The course, designed for those who already speak reasonable English, develops the skills required to use English confidently in an accounting or finance environment: 'All those in our current group of 30 learners have been pre-selected according to their current English language ability and the relevance of the programme to their job,' comments James. 'Vocabulary expansion is particularly useful in this context, but the whole programme is very attractive– the material is relevant, high quality and well put together, and the classroom material is excellent, encouraging students to practise what they have learnt through plausible simulations and role plays.'
Interview with an ICFE student
ICFE ACCA Financial English Newsletter
Interview with: David Ran
David Ran worked for the finance team in the Beijing office of international marketing communications company Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) when he studied for – and passed – the ICFE qualification. 'My employer wanted me, and my colleagues, to improve our English language skills, especially in a professional context, and so arranged for us to attend a tuition course for ICFE,' explains David. Tuition was delivered in-house by specialist local learning provider The Learning Institute: 'We took about 20 classes, and were taught by an English teacher - Kiran Patel - which really helped us a lot,' he adds.
Patel, who is regional manager – North China of The Learning Institute, points out that this combination of focused financial English language teaching delivered by native speakers proved particularly effective: 'O&M were enticed by the overall quality of the qualification, and by our enthusiasm for the course and our native speaking teaching resource,' he says. In addition, formal skills certification is an important benefit in the highly competitive Chinese employment market, and the ability to offer staff a qualification accredited by both ACCA and Cambridge ESOL was seen as a further benefit.
Up to 16 O&M employees attended each class, which developed students' ability to use English confidently and accurately in a financial environment, focusing on the core skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The class used study materials published by BPP Learning Media together with supporting resources developed by Patel and his team. 'I found help with writing English the most useful section of the course,' says David; classes prepared students for the final exam, but also incorporated simulations of real life situations in order to provide plenty of opportunity for students to practise their skills.
David passed his exam in January 2010 and is now making the most of his new qualification: 'I have found that the course has been useful in helping me perform day to day tasks, such as writing emails, but I also hope the Certificate will improve my longer term career prospects as it is proof of specific professional skills.'
Interview with: David Ran
David Ran worked for the finance team in the Beijing office of international marketing communications company Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) when he studied for – and passed – the ICFE qualification. 'My employer wanted me, and my colleagues, to improve our English language skills, especially in a professional context, and so arranged for us to attend a tuition course for ICFE,' explains David. Tuition was delivered in-house by specialist local learning provider The Learning Institute: 'We took about 20 classes, and were taught by an English teacher - Kiran Patel - which really helped us a lot,' he adds.
Patel, who is regional manager – North China of The Learning Institute, points out that this combination of focused financial English language teaching delivered by native speakers proved particularly effective: 'O&M were enticed by the overall quality of the qualification, and by our enthusiasm for the course and our native speaking teaching resource,' he says. In addition, formal skills certification is an important benefit in the highly competitive Chinese employment market, and the ability to offer staff a qualification accredited by both ACCA and Cambridge ESOL was seen as a further benefit.
Up to 16 O&M employees attended each class, which developed students' ability to use English confidently and accurately in a financial environment, focusing on the core skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The class used study materials published by BPP Learning Media together with supporting resources developed by Patel and his team. 'I found help with writing English the most useful section of the course,' says David; classes prepared students for the final exam, but also incorporated simulations of real life situations in order to provide plenty of opportunity for students to practise their skills.
David passed his exam in January 2010 and is now making the most of his new qualification: 'I have found that the course has been useful in helping me perform day to day tasks, such as writing emails, but I also hope the Certificate will improve my longer term career prospects as it is proof of specific professional skills.'
Thursday 3 February 2011
Blog Statistics
Pageviews 1000 from 35 countries.
The IB is running an in-company Financial English course and students will take the ICFE exam in the middle of the year.
I hope that teachers and students will continue to browse this blog and would appreciate any relevant comments on its usefulness.
The IB is running an in-company Financial English course and students will take the ICFE exam in the middle of the year.
I hope that teachers and students will continue to browse this blog and would appreciate any relevant comments on its usefulness.
Thursday 27 January 2011
100% Pass ICFE
Huge congratulations to the candidates at IH Costa Rica on their excellent ICFE results.
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