SESSION 1:
"A Business that makes nothing
but money is a poor business"
(Henry Ford)
There are all kinds of ethical issues involved in businesses around the world, many of which we are happy to turn a blind eye to as long as it means our products are cheaper. Some companies mistreat their staff and there is a grey area between the legal but unethical practices. Our clothes are made under conditions that would be illegal under the employment and antislavery laws of developed countries. Our food is produced using methods which contribute to the destruction of the environment. But we are also seeing a rise in the conscious consumer, and as this trend increases, businesses will have no option but to take a long hard look at the practices under which its products are produced.
Answer the following questions:
1. Do you agree with the quote above?
2. What are the principles of an ethical business? Can you add any to the list below? Put the following in order of importance:
Freedom of employment and association (....)
Eradication of child labour (....)
Safe and hygienic working conditions (....)
Humane and non-discriminatory treatment (....)
Anti-bribery and corruption (....)
Environmental awareness (....)
3. Can you think of any unethical companies? Why are they unethical?
4. Learn these words. Put them in the right sentence:
sweatshop - supply chain - greenwashing
a. Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in a company's ....................... to ensure they don't contribute to unethical business practices when they buy a product.
b. The environmental movement has warned consumers against ..........................., saying that when businesses use terms such as "environmentally friendly" they are often meaningless.
c. In Bangladesh, 3.5 million workers work in nearly 5,000 ......................... under terrible conditions.
5. Download this worksheet, read the article and do exercises 3 to 6.
Assignment for next Friday!
Write a case study for a business that was discovered to have ethical issues in its supply chain. What were these issues? What effect did this have in the company's reputation? What did the company do to resolve these problems? You can find some help here. (choose just one)
SESSION 2:
A STORY TO TELL
To report is basically to repeat what somebody has said in your own words, yeah, like gossiping, which implies that there will be some basic changes - regardless of how yellowish you want to get - people change, time and place references change too and that is just the beginning.
In reported or indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'back shifted' (e.g. worked) than the tense originally used (e.g. work). We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns. I will become he or she, for instance.
Demonstratives also change, like this or these changes to that or those, now changes to then, yesterday changes to the day before or tomorrow changes to the next/following day.
It also implies the addition of a reporting sentence that includes a reporting verb like "he said this or that " or "she told me".
Study the examples. How do we transform these sentences into reported speech?
a.
DIRECT SPEECH: "I'm sorry I'm late", she apologized.
INDIRECT SPEECH: She apologized for being late
b.
DIRECT SPEECH: "Can you pass the salt?", he asked.
INDIRECT SPEECH: He asked him if she could pass him the salt.
c.
DIRECT SPEECH: "What's your ID number?", the policeman asked.
INDIRECT SPEECH: The policeman wanted to know what his ID number was.
1. To learn more, read this thorough explanation and try the exercises at the end:
A mainly source of reports is the press. Have a look at the picture and learn some newspaper terms you should know:
2. Read these headlines and their decks from yesterday's press and report them making the right changes:
a.
b.
c.
d.
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