Aktualisiert: 5. März 2023
1. With your partner choose 3 - 4 questions to discuss. Then share your information in your group.
2. With your partner write four questions about certain topics, e.g. engineering, colleagues, recalls, etc.
A
How can companies ensure the availability of raw materials in the future?
B
What are the benefits of benchmarking?
C
What are the biggest challenges facing your company in 2023?
D
Do tight deadlines cause stress? Why or why not?
E
What is effective communication?
F
What are fringe benefits? Why do employers offer fringe benefits?
What is green manufacturing? What are its benefits?
H
What is meant by a hostile takeover? Do you know of any hostile takeovers?
I
How can your department decrease inefficiency and increase productivity?
J
What are the pros and cons of joint ventures?
K
What measures can companies and employees take in order to protect company know-how?
L
What are important leadership skills?
M
How can your company increase its market share?
N
What makes a good negotiator?
O
What is overproduction? Why is it a waste?
P
What is your company’s most profitable product or service?
Q
What is the difference between quality control and quality assurance?
R
Why is research and development (R&D) important to economic growth?
S
Give examples of soft skills and state why are they important in the workplace.
T
What influences a target market?
U
Do you think your country will see an upward trend in the economy in 2023? Why or why not?
V
What is your company’s vision? Do you think it is good? Why or why not.
W
Discuss ways of reducing waste in manufacturing.
X
What are the benefits of Xing for companies and individuals?
Y
What is meant by yield in business terms? Give an example.
Z
Is the concept of zero defects realistic? Why or why not?
Aktualisiert: 22. Nov. 2022
What type of leader would you like to be? What type of leaders do you prefer to work with?
B: The Best and Worst Leaders
· Can you think of any successful leaders? Give reasons for your choice.
· Can you think of any atrocious leaders? Give reasons for your choice.
C: Leadership Styles
· Match the styles of leadership to the correct heading (expression).
Leadership Styles continued
· Match the leadership styles to the correct short descriptions.
1. The type of leader sees people as a reservoir of talent to be developed. This approach seeks to unlock people's full potential helping them to discover their strengths and capabilities.
2. This type of leader gives no or very little direction to his/her team. On the surface, this leader may appear to trust people to know what to do, but is often uninvolved and passes on responsibility for decision-making to others.
3. These leaders share information with employees about anything that affects their work responsibilities and also seek employees' opinions before approving a final decision.
4. These leaders are more democratic, and inclusive leaders. They give their teams the “why” and trust them to discover and deliver the “how.” They provide their teams with the autonomy to self-organize, create and do the work.
5. This leadership style is the hallmark of confident and visionary leaders who pave the way and set goals and expectations, while involving and motivating their teams along the way. They don’t take much time to explain their way of thinking.
6. This type of leader “commands and controls”. In general, this type of leader believes that he or she knows more than everyone else. They make all the decisions and seldom accept advice from team members.
Discussion
· Talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the different leadership styles
· What type of leader can you best identify with (either as a leader or as an employee)?
D: Leadership Traits
· Talk about words to describe leadership characteristics. Which are positive or negative traits? Explain why.
E: Good and Bad Management
· Match the words on the left to the words on the right to make phrases about bad and good management.
F: Agree or Disagree
1. Leadership is defined by results.
2. Most leaders do not embrace change.
3. Everyone likes to work with likable people, even likable incompetent leaders.
4. Leadership is a form of behaviour and not a formal role.
5. Most politicians make lousy leaders
6. The world needs fewer leaders.
Vocabulary Box : Agree and Disagree
Are Germans less polite than English native speakers? Are we more deceitful than Germans? Are we friendlier? Are Germans more punctual? When I came to live in Germany first, I was often flabbergasted by the directness of Germans. And there are Germans who get really annoyed when native English speakers, in an effort to appear friendly, say things they don't really mean. Some Germans might call this "lying". Phrases like, “How wonderful to see you again! How‟s your beautiful wife keeping?, often seem rather insincere to Germans.
According to Professor Julianne House, of the University of Hamburg, Germans really don't make small talk. Those little phrases so familiar to us native English speakers about the weather or enquiring about a person's general well-being are practically non-existent in Germany. Interestingly, the German language does not have an expression for „small talk‟. Both the British and Americans appear to understand the fine art of how to start a conversation by relying on small talk to stimulate a conversation and to make the other person feel at ease. So what do Germans talk about at the Doctor's? Or going up the ski lift? How do they start a conversation? Or do they just get down to business immediately? Many Britons might find Germans blunt with their directness but on the other hand, the British lack of directness might be frustrating when doing business with them, which was often the case when BMW took over Rover as a lot of problems were played down. Phrases like “There are a few minor issues to be clarified” should in fact be taken seriously. There are some who would argue that Germans are more reliable and more punctual than other nationalities, which is also a form of politeness.
Small talk has become more and more important in business as it enables partners to build trust and establish rapport.
