Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 1
In the latest in our series on career
changes we meet Veronica Paralova and
Edwin Zeedorf who have made very
different career moves.
Veronica Paralova
Veronica Paralova left school at 17 with few
qualifications. After a job making school
lunches for eight years, on poor pay and
working long hours, she realized that she
was no longer motivated and needed to do
something different but she didn’t know
what. We asked her how she went about
changing her career.
What helped you make up your mind about
changing your career?
‘Well, for a while I was focusing on the
things I disliked, but someone told me to
think about the things I liked both in my
work and in my life. The things that I was
passionate about, the things that excited or
challenged me. I loved it when I was asked
to organize things, whether a new menu in
the kitchen or a party for a friend. I realized
I enjoyed organizing.’
So what happened next?
‘I started to look around for jobs that
involved organizing events or activities, I
found out about event management and
thought it would be something I would like
to do. It combined organizing and being
hands on, the last thing I wanted was a
desk job.’
Did you need any special training?
‘Yes, I went back to college, just part-time
but I did a course called Event and Project
Management. We studied ever ything
from project management to event law
and contracts. It was really interesting. It
took two years but at the end, the college
organized a placement with Global Events.
The placement lasted for six months and
when it finished they offered me a full-time
job.’
What is your favourite part of your new job?
‘I need to be creative, I have to think about
the client, their identity and their needs and
come up with something that will catch
the eye. It can be as much about marketing
and image as it is about actually organizing
the event.’
Do you regret the change in careers?
‘Not at all. I love my new job. The kitchen
job was monotonous but now every day
brings a different challenge.’
Edwin Zeedorf
When Edwin Zeedorf decided his job was
not motivating him, he made a life-changing
career move. The former Amsterdam-based
human resources director went off to look
for a more rewarding challenge. We asked
him about his new career.
You made quite a dramatic career change,
didn’t you?
‘Yes, I did. I had always wanted to work in
the voluntar y sector and now I work for
a charity called Childcare International. I
work in the distribution depot and the job
takes me to places that I never dreamt I
would visit. Last year I was in Sri Lanka
to distribute supplies to the victims of the
tsunami, and this year I have already been
to the Sudan and I am going to Kenya in
October.’
How did you choose this charity?
‘I wanted to get out from behind my desk
and do something that would make a
dif ference I suppose. I was lucky, in my
previous job I had met the manager of an
organization called Working for Charities.
They help people find work with charities
and so when I finally decided to change
jobs I contacted her. To start with she
offered me recruitment jobs, but I told her
that I wanted to be on the front line. My
skills were limited, I wasn’t a specialist, they
really need medical staff and engineers
but I was happy to take anything. So they
offered me a driving and distribution job
and here I am.’
What is your favourite part of your new job?
‘I am helping people and that is great.
Every day we take food to people who
need it. We work very hard, in very hot
weather, so I am very tired but I feel like I
am making a difference.’
Do you regret the change in careers?
‘Not at all. Obviously I don’t get as much
money now but the job is ver y rewarding
and I really enjoy it. I think I will go back to
the desk job one day but I will stay in the
voluntary sector for now.’
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Career changes

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 1
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Ask and answer these questions.
1 What jobs did you do before your current job?
2 What do you like and dislike most about your job?
3 Why do people change jobs?
2 Student A, you are going to read about Veronica Paralova. Student B, you
are going to read about Edwin Zeedorf.
1 Read your own section of the text quickly and find out why the person changed
their job.
2 Compare your answers with your partner. Did both people change for the same
reasons?
3 Read your section of the text again and choose three pieces of information
from it that you find interesting. Tell your partner your information and explain
why you found it interesting.
3 Work together and decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F) and
say why.
1 They both worked in their previous jobs for eight years.
2 They both left their first jobs because they didn’t feel motivated.
3 They both had to go back to ‘school’ to learn their new jobs.
4 They both now work at a desk.
5 Both their jobs involve helping people in some way.
6 Neither of them have regrets about changing careers.
4 Match the verbs from the text 1–8 to the correct preposition a–h. Use the
text to help you.
1 come
ain
2 decide
b out
3 find
cto
4 focus
d out
5 get
e for
6 look
f about
7 stay
gon
8 think
h up with
5 Work with your partner. Using the text to help you, decide what the verb
phrases in 5 mean.
6 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
7 Work with a partner. Discuss what you think about these career changes.
Do you think both of them made the correct decision?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 2
It is estimated that shift workers make
up 17% of the world’s workforce, and
that figure is rising to accommodate
the growing 24-hour culture. But is
working shifts bad for your health? Well,
if you are a woman then the answer
might well be ‘yes’. Recent research in
Denmark suggests that women who
work shifts, especially night shifts,
are more likely to be forced into early
retirement than men.
There has long been concern that
shift work can be linked to a range of
health problems, including increased
risk of heart disease, breast cancer,
peptic ulcers, sleep disturbance,
complications in pregnancy and
accidents. As well as the obvious
factors like lack of sleep and sunlight
deprivation, poor diet and lack of
exercise have also been blamed for this
ill-health. ‘Shift workers tend to snack
rather than eat square meals,’ says
Dr Nina Del Mastro, a doctor who has
researched the effects of shift work
on health problems. ‘This means their
meals tend to be high in fat and caf feine
and they often don’t get their daily
allowance of vitamins.’ A study into the
effects of shift work on health, reported
that 77% of extended-hours workers
said they were getting no regular
exercise. The Danish study suggested
that more women than men are forced
to retire early due to health problems
and 34% of those women had regularly
done shift work. However, the research
was unable to come up with a reason
why women should be more af fected
by working irregular or extended hours.
One theory suggests that when men
go home after a night shift they sleep
or relax in front of the television but
women are expected to do the domestic
chores once they have got home from a
long nights’ work. This means that they
are ef fectively doing two jobs and not
getting enough sleep.
Dr Del Mastro has advice for
employers who use shift workers.
‘Employers can help their staff avoid
the problems caused by working nights
by making night shifts more pleasant,’
she says. Responsible employers
schedule shifts to allow sufficient breaks
and days off so that employees both
get enough sleep and can also deal
with their personal lives. Having good
quality lights to simulate daylight
can help to keep workers feeling fresh
throughout the shift. Making sure there
is quality food available for their staf f
is another measure Dr Del Mastro
suggests. If the staff are eating properly
they will be more aler t and healthier.
If the company can’t afford catering,
then they should at least provide a
microwave and refrigerator or a vending
machine with healthy products. Workers
would also benefit from regular exercise
during their shift. ‘It doesn’t have to be
much,’ explains Del Mastro, ‘a quick
walk during the break will help to
revive tired limbs and minds.’ Finally,
workers can also benefit from training
on how best to cope with the inevitable
changes to their bodies and social lives.
If employers are worried about the
cost of this, they should remember
that a healthier workforce is a more
productive workforce, so they will see a
return on their investment.
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Shifting the balance

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 2
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Answer these questions.
1 Have you ever worked shifts? Did you enjoy it? Why / why not?
2 Do many people work shifts in your country? What kind of jobs do these
people do?
3 What do you think are the pros and cons of working shifts?
4 Do you think working shifts could be bad for your health? Why / why not?
2 Read the text quickly and find out if any of your ideas from questions 3
and 4 above are mentioned in the text.
3 Read the text again and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).
1 Shift work appears to affect men’s health less than that of women.
2 Almost one fifth of workers work shifts.
3 Female shift workers generally have a poorer diet than men.
4 Women usually get to relax after working their shift.
5 Employers will benefit from helping to improve the health of their shift
workers.
4 Work with a partner and follow the instructions.
•
Student A: Read the text to look for reasons why shift work is unhealthy.
Student B: Read the text to look for advice to make shift work more healthy.
•
When you have both finished, tell your partner the information in your own
words.
5 Match the words in bold in the text to definitions 1–8.
1 provide what somebody wants or needs:
2 food that makes you feel satisfied:
3 jobs that are not interesting but that you must do:
4 when something cannot be avoided or prevented from happening:
5 watching, listening, etc. for something with all your attention:
6 give the same effect as something else:
7 suffer something being taken away:
8 make somebody or something strong or healthy again:
6 Work with a partner. Try to use each word in a sentence about yourself.
7 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in
your day-to-day work.
8 What do you think of the advice in the text? Does your company
follow any of the advice?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 3
In 2012 the Olympics arrive in London,
bringing a £6 billion pound boost to
the local economy and providing up to
38,000 jobs for Londoners. The public
face of the London Olympics is Lord
Sir Sebastian Coe, the former athlete
and politician who was also credited
with bringing the games to London. But
the man charged with the day-to-day
responsibility of organizing the games is
less well known.
Paul Deighton was the Chief
Operating Officer for Goldman Sachs in
London before seeing an advert for the
post of CEO of the London Organizing
Committee in the Economist magazine.
With encouragement from his wife
he applied for the position, despite
it meaning a large pay cut. He was
interviewed along with 300 other people
and eventually he was offered the job.
The London Organizing Committee
of the Olympic and Paralympics Games
(LOCOG) is responsible for preparing
and staging the games and Deighton
is charged with the nuts and bolts of
the organization. He is responsible for
sponsorship, marketing, ticketing and
even the torch relay. He also oversees
the annual budget and recruiting the
staff needed to run the games, which
will eventually rise to over 100,000
workers and volunteers. In fact his
first task was to put together a top
team for the organizing committee.
He has already headhunted some
of the top names in business such
as Jean Tomlin the HR director,
who came from the BBC, and Chris
Townsend the commercial director,
who previously worked for Transport
for London. Deighton now believes he
has a superstar team in place to ensure
successful running of the games.
One of Deighton’s other
responsibilities is to work closely with
the Olympic Development Authority
(ODA) who are responsible for
developing and building the venues
and the Olympic Park. He is ver y
pleased with the relationship he has
developed with them and is convinced
that everything is on schedule and that
London will be ready for the Games on
time and on budget.
Deighton has also had to build
working relationships with the other
major stakeholders in the Olympic
process, for example, he has to report
to the Government who provide much
of the funding, the Mayor of London’s
office who are determined to get the
best out of the games for the ordinary
Londoner, and the British Olympic and
Paralympics committees.
The post of Olympic CEO is not
exactly a stable job – Sydney had four,
Athens had even more – but Deighton
is confident he can survive and more
importantly deliver. ‘I have 27 July 2012
tattooed inside and outside my head,’
he says. ‘I am absolutely focused on the
opening ceremony, and, with our team
and stakeholders, intend to deliver the
most stunningly successful Olympic
Games ever. You can count on it.’
No ordinar y project

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
‘‘
Reading file 3
Exercises
1 Read the first two paragraphs quickly and answer these questions.
1 Who is Paul Deighton?
2 What is his job?
3 What sort of things do you think he will be responsible for in this job?
4 What experience, skills, and qualities do you think he will need?
2 These numbers all appear in the text. Read the text quickly to find out
what each number represents.
1 2012
4 300
2 6 billion
5 100,000
3 38,000
627
3 Read the text again and answer these questions in your own words.
1 How did Paul Deighton find out about the job?
2 What made him apply for it?
3 Why was it important to get a ‘superstar’ team in place first?
4 What does the ODA do?
5 Who does Deighton have to report to?
6 What is Deighton confident about?
4 Match the words and phrases in bold in the text to the correct definition 1–8 .
1 people or companies that are involved in a particular organization especially
because they have invested the most money in it:
2 an increase in something:
3 the basic practical details of a subject or an activity:
4 to depend on something / somebody:
5 when somebody has been said to have done something:
6 to find somebody who is suitable for a senior job and persuade them to leave
their present job:
7 something that doesn’t change much and is not interrupted:
8 the person who people associate with a company or organization:
5 Work with a partner. Use the words and phrases in 4 in sentences about
the company you work for.
6 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
7 Would you like to manage a project as big as this? Why / why not?
8 Look at what some people have said about the Olympics being held in
London. Work with a partner. Discuss whether you agree with their
opinions.
I think it’s terrible that £6 billion is being spent on the
games when there are so many people living in such
poverty around the world.
Is it worth spending billions on the London Olympics for the
potential benefits it could bring? No, of course it isn’t , why can’t
the money be spent on education and health care?
It is great to host the Olympics, it’s fantastic. Ever yone who
criticizes it is miserable! I can’t wait for the Olympics, I don’t care
how much it costs – just pay it and make them the best ever.
‘‘
’’
‘‘
’’
’’

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 4
I’ve just come back to Prague from
Mexico and although I booked my ticket
through Czech Airlines, I never once
stepped onto a Czech Airlines plane. I
flew KLM to Amsterdam, Delta Airlines
to the States, Aero Mexico to Mexico
City and the same on the way back. I was
travelling on the SkyTeam Alliance who
were proud to tell me that they were
voted the Best Airline Alliance 2007
in a survey for the Business Traveller
Magazine. In the survey subscribers
to the magazine were asked which
companies have made their business
travels more enjoyable and SkyTeam
came top due to its reliability, high-
quality service and extensive network.
My journey back from Mexico made
me wonder what the purpose of these
alliances is.
Since 1997 three multi-airline alliances
have developed. The smallest alliance in
terms of number of airlines is Oneworld
with 11 airlines. This alliance links
national giants American Airlines, British
Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.
Next, with 13 airlines, is SkyTeam which
links Delta, with Air France/KLM,
Korean Air and Aero Mexico, amongst
others. Finally with 23 airlines there
is Star Alliance which includes United
Airlines, Lufthansa, ANA of Japan and
Air New Zealand. All of them claim that
their alliance provides travellers with
better services including more staf f,
greater rewards, easier check-in and
smoother transfers. ‘All of the alliances
allow the business traveller to move
through the world more easily and more
efficiently,’ says Nathan Harvey, an
Airline industry writer. ‘Thanks to better
connections and shared services the
airlines are able to offer more departure
times and cheaper fares.’
But the traveller is not the only one
to benefit – the alliances are also
beneficial for the airline companies.
They can reduce costs by sharing
operational costs, staff, sales offices and
maintenance facilities.
However, the real driving force behind
the alliances is that they are seen as
a way for the American companies
to overcome protectionist r ules in
other countries, especially Europe.
For example, US airlines argued that
European carriers had an advantage
over US airlines. This was because the
European airlines could fly passengers
from the States into Europe and then fly
them on to their final destinations within
Europe, whereas US firms were not
allowed to operate flights between two
European countries. This meant they
were having to hand their customers
over to their European competitors.
Critics of the alliance system claim
that the alliances are not as beneficial
to the customer as it is claimed. ‘W hen
two competing airlines are in the same
alliance they share the routes meaning
a reduction in services and numbers
of seats available and thus an increase
in prices,’ claims Rowena Bergson
who works for a passenger focus
group. ‘Also, despite over 40 airlines
belonging to alliances, much of the
world is not covered. In fact, outside
North America, Europe and South
East Asia coverage is ver y limited,’
Bergson continues. This is something
the alliances seem to be aware of with
Chinese, Brazilian and African airlines
due to join in the near future.
The airline alliances are also facing
other threats: low-cost airlines prefer
to go in for head-to-head competition
rather than forming alliances, while the
Open-skies deal between the US and
Europe may reduce the need for such
cooperation. But, for the foreseeable
future the alliances look like they are
here to stay, because as David Grossman
wrote in USA Today, ‘it’s far less
expensive to sell tickets on someone
else’s airplane than to operate your own.’
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Airline alliances

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 4
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1 What factors are important to you when choosing an airline to fly with? Why?
2 Which airline would you most / least like to fly with? Why?
3 In what ways do you think airlines can improve the service they offer their
customers?
2 Read the text quickly and choose the best title for the article.
a Airline alliances: Which airline is the best?
b Airline alliances: Travelling by plane is fun
c Airline alliances: A new way to travel
d Airline alliances: The pros and cons
3 What is an ‘airline alliance’?
4 Read the first paragraph and find the place names to match 1–3.
1 The place visited by the writer:
2 One place on the writer’s journey:
3 Possibly the writer’s home town:
5 Read the second paragraph. Find the numbers referred to in 1–4.
1 The number of alliances mentioned in the text:
2 When the alliances first started:
3 The number of airlines in the largest alliance:
4 The number of airlines in the smallest alliance:
6 Read the text again and make a list of the advantages and disadvantages
of airline alliances. Then compare your answers with a partner.
7 Match 1–10 to a–j to form collocations. Then look at the text to check
your answers.
1 high
a quality
2 extensive
b future
3 business
c group
4 departure
d fares
5 operational
e traveller
6 cheaper
f carrier
7 driving
g force
8 local
h times
9 focus
i network
10 foreseeable
j costs
8 Using the text to help you, decide what the collocations in 7 mean.
9 Look back at your text and choose three words or phrases you could
use in your day-to-day work.
10 Discuss with a partner whether you think airline alliances are a good
idea or not.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 5
We’ve already had the Nike+, the
wireless running shoe that records
progress and sends the information to
an iPod nano. Now Apple and Nike
are 1
up again to
bring us interactive workouts in the
gym.
Nike and Apple are joining up with
24-Hour Fitness and Virgin Atlantic
Health clubs to develop machines that
2
iPod nanos to be
connected to running machines and
other gym equipment. This will help
gym members to see their progress, set
personal targets and then upload the
data to the Nike+ website. Nike claim
that people who go to gyms will use
these machines to 3
them to work harder and get fitter.
Gibson Har ris, a gym manager based
in the USA, says he thinks this is a
4
idea. ‘People who
come to our gym to exercise always
expect it to have the latest technology.
So to satisfy the customers’ needs we
need to keep one step ahead of them.
This new system will help us to do that.’
Gibson also says that it will help the
personal trainers who work in his gym
to give a better service. ‘The personal
trainers will be able to see how our
members are 5
. They
will be able to tailor the courses to the
exact needs of the clients taking into
account their performance and their
requirements.’
Nike hopes that customers will use
other 6
too. They
will be able to join social networking
sites and 7
their
performances with their friends or
challenge others to workout goals.
The online community that has grown
up around the Nike+ r unning shoe
surprised ever yone and this new
product will build on that.
But Charrissa Guilbert who works
forarivalgymisnotafanofthe
new technology. ‘Customer service
is about the personal touch, about
8
care. The more
gadgets you have, the less you need
human contact. This new system will
reduce the role of personal trainers not
increase it. A machine can only record
how you are doing, it cannot help you
improve by showing you what you are
doing wrong or what you could do
better. Our customers expect our staf f
to supply a 9
ser vice
not just print of f some results from a
website.’
Gibson Harris, though, is convinced
that the new technology is going to be a
success. ‘The nano is already a central
part of people’s visit to the gym. We
see more and more people using it; it
is small and 10
and
does not get in the way. People can
work out to the music they choose but
now they will be able to see exactly
how they are doing. In my opinion it is
the perfect new product and I cannot
wait to see it in action.’ Only time will
tell if he is right.
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The iGym?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 5
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1 Whatdoyoudotokeepfit?
2 How can technology help us keep fit?
2 Have you ever used a gym? What did / would you like and dislike about it?
2 Why do people use gyms? What sort of service do they expect?
2 You are going to read a text about using Apple iPods with gym equipment.
How do you think the two things might be used together? Now quickly
read the text to see if you are right.
3 Complete the text with the words in the list.
enable brilliant compare customer features
lightweight motivate performing personal teaming
4 Read the text again and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).
If you think they are false, say why.
1 Nike+ shoes have an iPod in them.
2 The iPod nano is being developed to connect to gym machines.
3 Gibson Harris thinks people expect a gym to use new technology.
4 The iPod nano will replace personal trainers.
5 People are surprised by the Nike+ running shoe.
6 Charrissa Guilbert thinks Nike and Apple have got it wrong.
7 She thinks people prefer the personal touch.
8 Gibson Harris disagrees with Charrissa.
5 Match these words from the text to the correct definition:
to team up plug into to tailor to take into account
feature(s) a gadget to work out
a goal
1 to connect a piece of electrical equipment to the main supply of electricity or
to another piece of electrical equipment:
2 something that you hope to achieve:
3 to join with others in order to do something together:
4 something important, interesting or typical of a place or thing:
5 a small tool or device that does something useful:
6 to exercise:
7 to consider particular facts, circumstances, etc. when making a decision about
something:
8 to make or adapt something for a particular purpose, person, etc.:
6 Now make some sentences of your own using each of the words in 5.
7 Look back at the text and choose three words you could use in your
day-to-day work.
8 Work with a partner or in small groups. Decide whose point of view
you you agree with. Discuss your opinion with a partner telling them
why you agree or disagree.
• Gibson Harris think the iPod is ‘perfect’ for use in gym.
• Charrissa Guilbert says people want customer service not technology.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 6
8,500 laptops or other mobile devices
are lost by UK business travellers
every year. That figure, incredible as
it may seem, is a worrying statistic.
It is not just the cost of the hardware
but the loss of data that is worrying
for the forgetful or unlucky traveller. In
another development more and more
US citizens are reporting having their
laptops confiscated or data copied
during security checks at airports.
To help the business traveller we have
compiled a list of Do’s and Don’ts for
those who travel with their laptops.
1 Keep your laptop with you at all
times, from the time you are dropped
off at the airport until the time the
taxi picks you up at the other end. Do
not let it out of your sight even if you
are just going to freshen up.
2 There is no need to worry about your
laptop being X-rayed – the radiation
is not strong enough to harm your
hard drive. If you look worried about
the X-ray process the security officers
might decide to do a hand check
as well. However laptops are not
supposed to pass through metal
detectors. If a security guard asks
you to pass through with your laptop,
ask politely if it can be hand checked
instead.
3 Sometimes you have to take your
laptop out of its case to pass it
through the X-ray machine. Make
sure all other equipment is secure
so you don’t lose your mouse or
webcam, etc.
4 Sometimes you will be asked to turn
the laptop on to prove that it is a
laptop (a ‘hand check’). Don’t argue,
turn it on and do what is asked of
you. It is a good idea to leave your
computer on standby mode so it
opens up quickly.
5 Avoid attracting attention to yourself
by keeping a low profile. Security
officials are more likely to search you
more thoroughly if they have noticed
you before you go through security.
6 Don’t use your laptop unless you
really need to. If you need to use
it at the airport, look around for
somewhere quiet to use it. Don’t use
it in busy areas where it would be
easy for someone to see what you are
doing without you noticing.
7 If someone is taking an interest in
your laptop stop using it and move
away from the scene. They may be
looking for something to steal.
8 You are supposed to carry the original
receipts with your passport. If you
cannot prove that the computer was
bought in your home country rather
than overseas, you may have to pay
customs duty or might have your
laptop confiscated.
9 Keep your back-up discs or flash
drives in a different bag. If you
lose your laptop then you still have
the back up and can still do your
business.
A final piece of advice is to think
about buying a second laptop that
you use specifically for travelling. You
don’t have to spend lots of money
on it, perhaps think about buying
a second-hand one. Then only put
what you need on your travel laptop.
Hopefully with these tips we can help
you keep your laptop safe and have an
enjoyable and profitable journey.
10
Look out for your laptop

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 6
Exercises
1 Discuss these questions with a partner.
1 How often do you travel abroad for business?
2 What things do you take with you?
3 Have you ever lost anything? If so, what? If not, what would be the worst
thing you could lose?
2 Read the first paragraph of the text and decide what the purpose of the
text is.
3 Work with a partner. Try to think of two or three pieces of advice about
travelling with a laptop.
4 Read the text quickly and see if your ideas from 3 are included.
5 Read the text again and decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F ).
1 If you travel to the USA, your computer’s data will be copied.
2 X-raying is not harmful to a laptop.
3 Metal detectors are not harmful to a laptop.
4 Security officials need to see that a laptop is really a laptop.
5 Security officials search everyone thoroughly.
6 You should have a receipt for your computer.
6 Answer these questions in your own words.
1 Why shouldn’t you use your laptop at an airport?
2 Why should you try not to draw attention to yourself?
3 Why should you keep your back-up flash drive in a different bag?
4 What is the advantage of having a second laptop?
7 Work with a partner. Turn over the text and try and remember the tips.
Begin each tip with either Do or Don’t.
Example: Don’t leave your laptop anywhere. / Do keep it with you all the time.
8 Match the words in bold in the text to the correct definition 1–8.
1 to produce a book, list, report, etc. by bringing together different items,
articles, songs, etc.:
2 not getting a lot of attention:
3 to go through something:
4 to officially take something away from somebody, especially as a punishment:
5 to use facts, evidence, etc. to show that something is true:
6 the taxes that must be paid to the government when goods are brought in from
other countr ies:
7 to make oneself cleaner, cooler / to feel more pleasant:
8 to stop so that somebody can get out of a car, etc.; to deliver something on the
way to somewhere else:
9 Look back at the text and choose three words you could use in your day-
to-day work.
Work with a partner and discuss these questions.
1 Do you think the advice in the text is good advice?
2 Which is the best tip?
3 Which piece(s) of advice do you follow?
10

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 7
If a business or country possesses
advanced know-how or technology,
someone else will try to steal or copy
it. During the first industrial revolution,
the Americans were desperate to obtain
cutting edge British technology to
mass-produce textiles. They had cotton
but no machines of their own. It was
illegal for textile workers to travel to
America but in 1789 English factor y
super visor Samuel Slater did just that.
Almost single-handedly he created the
American textile industry by building
machines from memor y.
So industrial espionage has always
been with us, but who are today’s spies?
You can forget ninjas breaking into
heavily guarded factories in the dead
of night. The reality is quite different
and frequently the crime is digital and
knowledge-based rather than the theft
of a physical object. More often the
‘spy’ is an employee, past or present,
or a seemingly innocent visitor. They
may also be students on *internships
or sponsored by rival companies or
foreign governments. In one case Li Li
Wuang a Chinese student was arrested
for stealing commercial secrets from
the French company where she was
an *intern. Confidential files had been
wiped off the firm’s computers only
to be discovered on her PC. Luckily
for her there was no proof that the
infor mation hade been sent so she was
released and allowed to continue with
her studies. A 26-year-old Hungarian
was not so lucky. He was sentenced
to three years in prison for breaking
into the Swedish company Ericsson’s
intranet system. This type of crime
even reaches the world of Formula 1
racing. Former Fer rari employees were
found guilty of industrial espionage by
gaining unauthorized access to Ferrari’s
computer system.
So what can firms do to protect
themselves from breaches of security?
These are some pieces of advice that
security experts often give:
•
First of all, they should take care over
who they employ and r un thorough
background checks.
•
They should protect sensitive data
behind closely guarded passwords
that are changed on a regular basis.
•
R&D areas should be behind closed
doors and away from curious eyes.
•
If you do have guests, politely ask
them to leave their mobiles outside to
prevent anyone taking photographs
of machinery, processes or
prototypes. A state-of-the-art design
can be taken in a split second.
•
Anti-spyware should be installed and
monitored on your computer system.
•
Most fir ms would draw the line at
banning mobile phones, but staff
should be forbidden from bringing
in memory sticks or any kind of
external drive into the office.
•
People should only have access to
data on a need-to-know basis.
•
One consultant controversially
suggests keeping any foreign trainees
well away from sensitive material
however sweet or innocent they
appear.
On a personal level we can all do things
like keeping office drawers locked
and password-protect access to our
computers. Incidentally, never use the
name of a pet, loved one, or favourite
team as passwords: they are child’s
play for any competent hacker to break.
The spy can also be the ‘colleague’ you
chat to and share your ideas with on
a professional bulletin-board. Never
ever download a file from a seemingly
well-meaning contact – it could contain
a Trojan Horse that gives access to
all your data. Before you know it he
has stolen your personal details and
accessed sensitive information. You
have been warned!
Glossary
*intern = a student on work experience
*internship = a period of work experience for a student

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 7
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1 How strict is security where you work?
2 Are there areas that are forbidden to most members of staff?
3 Have there ever been problems with security?
2 Read the first two paragraphs of the text and answer these questions.
1 What important knowledge was transferred to America?
2 Who usually carries out industrial espionage?
3 Who is often behind the crime?
4 What was a Chinese student accused of doing by a French firm?
5 Why was a Hungarian man less lucky?
6 What happened at Ferrari and who was responsible?
3 Imagine you are telling someone about the first part of the article.
Summarize the type of crime and the type of criminal.
4 Work in pairs or groups and brainstorm the different ways that companies
can protect themselves from industrial espionage. Make a list.
5 Read the rest of the text. How many ways of preventing espionage did you
predict? Did you come up with other ways that are not dealt with in the article?
6 Match 1–6 to a–f to make collocations from the text.
1 industrial
a file
2 unauthorized
b of security
3 breach
c access
4 rival
d espionage
5 sensitive
e company
6 confidential
f data
7 Match the phrases in italics to their definitions.
1 If someone does something single-handedly, they do it ...
a with one arm.
b on their own.
2 If something is at the cutting edge, it is ...
a at the front of research and development. b is dangerous to touch.
3 If something is state of the art, it ...
a belongs in a museum. b presents the highest level of development for its time.
4 If you draw the line at something, ...
a you refuse to do it.
b you agree to do it.
8 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
9 Imagine you are in charge of security at a high tech firm. What do you tell
colleagues who say the following?
‘‘
’’
There is a group of possible investors coming to have a look around
this afternoon. Do you think it will be all right if I let them have a look
at the prototype – I’d be interested in hearing their views.
‘‘
’’
I belong to this really useful bulletin board –
it’s great to swap ideas with other
colleag ues in a friendly and open atmosphere.
After all, we’re all scientists, aren’t we?
‘‘
’’
I’ve got this really sweet trainee who is here for the summer.
I don’t know what I would do without him. He has even
offered to work late when everyone else has left the office.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 8
Looking the par t
Glossary
*adage =a well-known phrase
How we look when we go for that job
interview is very important. There are
those who say, ‘It shouldn’t matter what
I look like, and what I wear as long as I
do my job well.’ They’re right, of course,
but this isn’t borne out by what happens
in real life. People make their minds
up about us in the first few seconds of
meeting – from seven to fifteen seconds
is all it takes. This means that before any
words are exchanged, their opinion is
already starting to form.
But is it really the case that jobs are won
or lost on the basis of how we look? It
seems so. The link between appearance
and success has been the subject of
some serious research. An attractive
person is more likely to be offered a job
over an unattractive person with similar
qualifications and experience. The same
rule applies for job promotions. People
who are judged attractive make between
7.5% and 15% more than the rest of
their ordinary looking peers. People who
are better looking benefit from the ‘halo
effect’, are more popular, and receive
more chances than the others. The news
is bad for unattractive people. They earn
on average 10% an hour less than an
average looking person. So ugliness can
be bad for your wealth.
Height is also a key factor for men.
Cynics said that George Washington
only became US President because he
was the tallest guy in the room. Men
over 1m75 get a lot of breaks. They
earn more, receive better appraisals,
and get promoted more easily.
Research has shown that a man who is
1m82 earns almost $800 a year more
than a man who measures 1m65 with
the same qualifications. So the man
who is tall and handsome has got it
made! For women, being attractive
never did any har m – or can it? Being
too pretty can work against women
who want to get on in a masculine
world, as they might well be considered
to lack the necessary toughness. Good-
looking women who get to the top are
said to do so through luck; their less
attractive sisters are perceived to have
arrived there through ability.
It seems that no matter how hard we
try to be fair and impartial, when it
comes to recr uiting and promoting, we
find it hard to shake off our prejudices
about appearance. Our appearance
and clothes send a message, and for
many people they are the outward and
visible sign of the purpose and character
of the person who wears them.
Appearance is often perceived (perhaps
sub-consciously) as just another asset
like communication skills or a good
education.
So remember that old *adage that first
impressions count. If you are blessed
with good looks, you have an advantage.
For the rest of us, we need to make the
most of ourselves as much as we can
with the right clothing and a positive
attitude. Self-confidence helps too, and
comes through in the way we carry
ourselves and look. The message seems
to be that positive body language can
make you better looking. There is never
a second chance to make a good first
impression, and it can take twenty
positive meetings to undo the damage of
a poor first encounter.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 8
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1 What do you wear for an interview?
2 How important do you think it is to look good at work?
3 Do you know anyone who has been unfairly promoted or been given privileges
because of how they look?
2 Read the first paragraph of the text and answer these questions.
1 Does the writer think it is right to judge people on the way they dress?
2 How long does it take someone to pass a judgement on another person?
3 Read paragraphs 2 and 3 and choose the correct answer from a, b or c.
1 Attractive people earn up to ...% more than others.
a 7.5
b10
c15
2 Unattractive people may earn on average ...% less than their attractive colleagues.
a10
b 17.5
c25
3 To start receiving an advantage from his height, a man needs to be ...
a 1m65. b 1m75.
c 1m82.
4 Men who are 1m82 earn about $... more a year for each extra cm than a man
who is 1m65.
a30
b40
c50
5 Women who are pretty ...
a always have an advantage. b aren’t tough enough. c can be unfairly judged.
4 Read paragraphs 4 and 5 and answer these questions.
1 What do some people believe that clothes tell us?
2 How can self-confidence affect the way we come across?
5 What kind of being usually has a ‘halo’? What do you think it means if
someone benefits from the ‘halo effect’?
6 Match 1–4 to a–d.
1 If you can’t make up your mind, you
a they are given a great opportunity.
2 If a person has got it made,
b you maximize the way you look.
3 If someone gets a break,
c can’t decide what to do.
4 If you make the most of yourself,
d they have everything they need to
be successful.
7 Work with a partner. Talk about an occasion when you, or someone you
know ...
1 couldn’t make up your/their mind.
2 had it made.
3 got a break.
4 made the most of yourself/themselves.
8 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
9 How important do you think it is to make the most of yourself at work?
10 Do you agree that appearance matters and if you want to succeed it is
best to conform? Can you think of any instances where this isn’t the case?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 9
Every day in chaotic Mumbai, a
logistical miracle takes place. Teams
of men wearing white hats deliver
thousands of home-cooked lunches to
office workers in the city. The lunch is
contained in aluminium buckets called
‘dabbas’, and the men who deliver them
are known as Dabbawallahs. What is
amazing is that each dabba changes
hands at least three times on its way. The
system originated because there are so
many dif ferent ethnic groups and castes,
each with its own specific dietar y needs
and preferences. So instead of finding
a restaurant, people prefer to have a
hot midday meal sent from their homes
directly to their offices. It is also up to
fifteen times cheaper than eating out.
The Dabbawallahs are part of
a sophisticated supply chain
of deliver ymen. They have no
qualifications and are mostly illiterate.
Yet despite this, and without computers
or mobile phones, they deliver
thousands of Dabbas to their hungry
clients without fail, using a system of
colour-coding and symbols on the tins.
The network is so efficient that the
business magazine, Forbes, gave it a six
sigma performance rating, making it as
reliable as Motorola or General Electric.
All this despite the fact that a team of
Harvard statisticians said that it was
virtually impossible.
So how does it work? Let us take the
case of Mr Rahman, an office worker.
His Dabba has a black *swastika, a
yellow dot and a red *slash. Elsewhere
there is a white cross and black circle.
The first symbols tell the Dabbawallahs
the train staion to go to, the line to take,
and where to get of f. The remaining
ones indicate the district and the
building and floor where they need
to be delivered. At 10 a.m . the first
Dabbawallah turns up to collect Mr
Rahman’s dabba from his wife at home.
The dabba sets of f on its journey. In the
next half hour it is taken to a collection
point and put into the correct batch
according to its code. It is fast and
accurate work.
Twenty minutes later, Dabawallah 2
sorts them out, takes the dabbas marked
with a black swastika, and cycles off to
the station where Dabbawallah 3 picks
up the ones with a yellow dot. He loads
them onto a tray and boards the train at
11.05 . The tray weighs fifty kilos and has
room for 39 dabbas.
The red slash tells him where to get of f,
eighteen minutes later. Dabbawallah 4
is waiting at the station and takes the
ones with his symbol, a white cross for
his sector. We have now nar rowed the
deliver y zone down to a single small
district. The black circle on the tin tells
him the exact details of the government
building it has to go to. He goes up four
flights of stairs and drops off the dabbas
in their place in the canteen. By 12.30 Mr
Rahman is tucking into his lunch.
To become a Dabawallah you have to
pay 30,000 rupees to the tiffin wallahs
union. Afterwards you can earn just
under eighty pounds a month – a
good salary by Indian standards. It is a
hazardous occupation riding a bicycle
with a huge tray of dabbas, or rushing
across busy roads to get to an office
building on the other side. During the
monsoon season Dabbawallahs have
to wade through water to get to their
customers. Sometimes there are awful
accidents. Recently, a Dabbawallah was
killed but his colleagues made sure that
his dabba deliveries were only held up
by half an hour.
The ultimate deliver y ser vice
Glossary
*slash=a/
*s wastika = a symbol that means ‘good luck’ in India

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 9
Exercises
1 Work in groups. Discuss these questions.
1 What kind of things do you have delivered?
2 Do you have more or fewer deliveries since the Internet?
3 What is the service like? How could it be improved?
2 Read the first paragraph and answer these questions.
1 Which city is the article about?
2 What is a dabba and who is a Dabbawallah?
3 Why do office workers use the services of the Dabbawallah network?
3 Read the second paragraph and decide if these statements are true (T) or
false (F).
1 Dabbas are delivered by the person who collects them.
2 Most Dabbawallahs can read and write.
3 They manage without sophisticated technology.
4 They exploit a system of colours and shapes.
5 They are as efficient as some top western companies.
4 Read paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 and makes notes about the duties of each
Dabbawallah.
Dabbawallah 1:
Dabbawallah 2:
Dabbawallah 3:
Dabbawallah 4:
5 Read the final paragraph and list the advantages and disadvantages of
this job?
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
6 Match words from the text to definitions 1– 6.
1 a wonderful event that seems almost impossible
2 a class within Indian society you are born into
3 unable to read or write
4 a group of things that interconnect
5 reduced
6 the time of year when it rains a lot
7 Find phrasal verbs 1–5 in the text and match them to definitions a–e.
1 turn up
a collect
2 set off
b arrive / present yourself
3 pick up
c organize / arrange
4 sort out
d deliver
5 drop off
e leave on a journey
8 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
9 You want to adapt the dabbawallah concept for your city. Work in groups
and discuss these questions.
1 How will you sell the idea to your customers?
2 Who will you employ?
3 How will you make sure meals are delivered on time?
4 How (if at all) will you use new technology to improve the service?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 10
A few of us telecommute and have an
office in a spare room, but most people’s
working day is spent in a purpose built
office building. An office block can house
different office layout environments.
This can range from the individual to the
shared office through to a completely
open-plan environment. The most
recent fashion is for hot-desking where
employees turn up and find an available
work station. This is suitable for staff
like salespeople who only need office-
space for a short period of time, as the
rest of the time they are on the road. It
is also used in places where office rents
are prohibitively high. The downside,
of course, is that people feel rootless,
even anonymous, and that they belong
nowhere.
Even though the individual office is rare,
most top bosses have one. It can come as
a shock to find yourself in one. Kingsley
Goldman feels uncomfortable being on
his own since being promoted to Area
Manager. ‘I had always wanted to be the
man in the corner office, but the peace
and quiet can make it a lonely experience.
The wall is glass and it’s like being in
a goldfish bowl. I feel that people are
staring at me and talking behind my back.
That’s why I keep the blinds closed most
of the time.
At the other end of the spectrum is the
open-plan office. Some people love the
interaction with colleagues and the buzz
of ideas – it is also great for office gossip!
Designer Brigitta Childs says she couldn’t
bear being stuck in a room on her own
all day. The biggest problem with large
open-plan offices is that they are often
located in the centre of the working space
without access to natural light or being
able to open a window to the outside
world. Fluorescent lighting and centrally
controlled air-conditioning lead to
feelings of frustration at not being able to
control one’s working environment.
I recently visited an insurance company
in Milton Keynes. From above, its cubical
set up looks like a maze or a rat-run in a
scientific experiment. This arrangement,
justifiably, has been satirized, most
notably in the Dilbert Cartoons. Accounts
clerk Fawzia Ali tells me, ‘You are robbed
of the companionship that can come
with a truly open-plan set up, but have
none of the privacy of a proper office. At
any moment someone can appear like a
meerkat over the chest-high partition.’
There are often problems with co-workers
speaking too loudly, or eating smelly
food at their workstations, or constantly
ringing phones. Eavesdropping co-
workers’ conversations causes friction as
well. Fawzia reports frequent arguments
and even fights between co-workers
Cubicle or open plan, most of us like
to decorate our space with plants or
photographs. A ‘clear desk policy’ usually
means that all paperwork must be tidied
away at the end of each working day.
Legal secretary Marianne Spencer’s firm
took this a step further and insisted that
this applied to personal objects too. They
wanted to create a clean, clinical look
for clients. For Marianne this was the last
straw and she left to work somewhere
where she is allowed to personalize her
space and is not treated ‘like a robot’.
Surprisingly, the most difficult relationship
is when you have to share an office with
just one other person. The smallest thing
can irritate you. The way the other person
speaks on the phone, or even breathes,
can drive their partner crazy. ‘When you
marry someone at least you have made
the choice to be with them,’ says Hesther
P. ‘I spend more time in a room with my
office-mate than my husband. The person
I share with is large and messy and just
drives me crazy.’ Since speaking, they
have ‘divorced’ and transferred to other
offices where they are with people who
are more compatible.
Office strife

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 10
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1 How much of your working day is spent in an office?
2 Who, if anyone, do you share your working space with?
3 How is your working space laid out?
4 How does your work ing environment affect your mood and your relationship
with co-workers?
2 The title of the text is ‘Office Strife’. Strife is another word for conflict.
Discuss what you think the article will be about.
3 Read the text quickly and see if your predictions were correct.
4 Read the text again and discuss with a partner the advantages and
disadvantages of the different office systems. Which one does the writer
seem to like the least?
individual office shared office (two people) open-plan office
cubicle lay out hot desking
5 What are your personal experiences of these different systems?
6 Match 1–8 to a–h to create collocations from the text.
1 spare
a bowl
2 office
b light
3 goldfish
c block
4 natural
d station
5 outside
e objects
6 personal
f room
7 work
g built
8 purpose
h world
7 Complete the sentences by solving the anagrams.
1 I have been getting letters from
government officials. NANYOSMOU
2 Watch out for Brian, he’s always
people’s private calls.
AEVESDORPGPIN
3 I don’t like to
, but have you heard the latest about Nadia? OSPGSI
4 This new building is like a
. I’m forever getting lost. MZEA
5 This layout is much cheaper, but the
is that we are going to lose
staff. ONWDSIED
8 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
9 RGT is a small adver tising agency in London. They have rented 2,000m2 of
office space. Read the descr iption of what they need and decide how they
should divide up the space for their sixty staf f. They need the following:
a conference room for presentations
two small meeting rooms for clients
an office for the head of marketing
an office for the head of design
five small offices for key executives
a large space for the team of in-house designers
a spacious reception area and lounge
a coffee lounge / snack bar
a space for ten telesales staff
a space for the six administrative staff
a space for the sales team
a room for the supplies

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 11
Hunch or reason?
1
Some years ago the Getty museum in Malibu was offered an ancient Greek statue
of a young man. When most art experts viewed it, they instinctively felt that it
was a *forger y. Scientific analysis, however, suggested it was genuine so Getty
went ahead and bought it. The people in charge of acquisitions decided to follow
the scientific team’s advice that supported its claimed antiquity. Nevertheless the
jury is still out: the statue carries the label ‘Greek 530BC or a modern forgery’!
Getty had chosen factual analysis over instinctive hunch. The art expert’s hunch
was based on decades of living and breathing ancient art. He could ‘think without
thinking’ so gave the statue the thumb’s down.
2
Companies are not really supposed to make choices based on hunch or instinct.
A manager buying a fleet of vans for its deliver y service will be expected to
support a decision with hard facts about cost, fuel consumption, reliability, service
packages, and carbon footprint. Similarly, huge capital project decisions cannot
be taken lightly and have to be as rational and scientifically based as possible.
Engineers and experts will estimate the challenges, costs, and timescale of a
project before it is given the green light.
3
But is factual analysis always the best way of arriving at the best business
decisions? Managers need to do things right but leaders have to do the right thing.
These people have to make difficult strategic decisions about how to take their
companies forward. They have to envisage a future that may be unsupported
by the facts that are available today. It is this kind of creativity that saw Nokia
transform itself from being a producer of wood to a producer of cable, then a
telecommunications giant. It was an inspired jump into the unknown. Careful
research and analysis before you act doesn’t always provide the answers. Before
New Coke was launched the company carried out extensive marketing research:
the drink was test-tasted by almost 200,000 people. Even though these *guinea
pigs said they liked it, the drink was a failure. It is a perfect example of the
Hawthorne effect, that is, how the research process itself may be responsible for
unreliable results.
4
And in our private lives, while we know we should really make decisions about
where we live and what we buy, decisions that can often involve large sums
of money, on purely rational criteria, our instinct tells us what is right for us. It
often comes down to ‘does it feel right for me?’ A poor decision will only affect
ourselves. At work, whether we should always trust the experts or our instincts
is a more difficult question to answer. If we trust the experts, then it can help us
avoid the blame if something goes wrong. Sticking our necks out and trusting our
instincts can have unhappy consequences if we are proved wrong. We are the
perfect scapegoat.
Glossary
*forger y =a copy designed to look exactly like the original
*guinea pig = a small rodent, the word is used to indicate the subject of an
experiment

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 11
Exercises
1 Which statement best describes the way you solve problems and take
decisions.
‘First of all, I analyse the facts and identify what needs to be done. I then come up
with different solutions and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each.’
‘I have a good feel for situations and can quickly identify the root of a problem. I
can usually come up with a solution that feels right and that I think will work.’
2 Read the text and choose the best sub-headings for each of the
paragraphs.
At home and at work Leaders and managers
Ancient or modern? Supporting decisions
3 Read the text again and answer these questions.
1 What was the instinctive reaction of art experts when they saw the statue?
2 Why did the Getty museum go ahead with the purchase?
3 How are people expected to reach decisions at work?
4 Why can’t leaders always base decisions on facts?
5 What example does the writer use of inspired vision and leadership?
6 How is the way people take personal decisions different from taking
professional decisions?
4 Match 1–8 to a–h to make collocations from the text.
1 scientific
a example
2 hard
b footprint
3 marketing
c decision
4 carbon
d project
5 capital
e research
6 strategic
f analysis
7 perfect
g facts
5 Using the text to help you, decide what the collocations in 4 mean.
6 Choose the correct answer from a, b, or c.
1 If something is given the ‘green light’, it ... .
a goes ahead
b is told to wait
c is rejected
2 If something ‘gets the thumbs down’, it ... .
a goes ahead
b gets a second chance c is rejected
3 If you stick your neck out, you ... .
a take a risk
b hide from the truth
c avoid a risk.
4 Ifthe‘juryisout’, ... .
a a decision has been made
b people are still deciding
c you don’t agree with the decision
5 Ifyouplaysafe,you....
a take risks
b minimize the risks
c agree with everyone else
6 If you are a scapegoat, everybody... .
a blames you
b laughs at you
c avoids you
7 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
8 After reading and discussing the article, what do you think is the best way
of making decisions?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 12
Invention is one thing, but innovation,
the ability of transforming an invention
into a commercially viable product
is another. The motor car has had an
enormous impact on all our lives, and
many businesses have played their part
in its development. However; two great
innovating companies stand out from
the rest. The first is Ford which brought
it to a mass market, and the second
Toyota that has become a benchmark
of quality and reliability that all car
manufacturers try to *emulate.
Karl Benz invented the first petrol
driven vehicle in 1885 and it gradually
became adopted by the rich and social
elite. It needed the organizational and
production innovations of the great car
maker Henr y Ford to turn it into a mode
of transport and an object of consumer
aspiration for ordinary people. Ford’s
use of a moving assembly line,
where one worker concentrated on a
particular task, allowed his company
to achieve efficiencies and economies
of scale that meant a car came of f the
production line ever y fifteen minutes.
He founded the Ford Motor Company in
1903 and introduced the model T Ford.
His vision was to produce a vehicle that
the ordinary working man could afford.
By 1918 half the cars on the road were
Model T Fords, even if the only colour
in which it was available was black!
‘Fordism’ was the combination of
modern production methods with high
pay for workers (five dollars a day – at
that time an enormous sum) that in turn
encouraged consumption.
Kiichiro Toyoda, who was born in 1894,
was a brilliant engineer who had trained
at Tokyo University. After a tour of
British and American car factories, he
became determined to produce world-
class vehicles in Japan. He carried
out some reverse engineering on
American car engines and at the end
of the 1930s launched the Toyota car
company. Passenger car production
began in 1947. He shortened the
supply chain so that parts ar rived ‘just
in time’. When he left the company
shortly afterwards, his long standing
deputy and follower Eijii took over
the reins. He and another colleague
Ohno came up with the kanban system
of labeling that meant the supply of
parts could r un smoothly. Kanban was
a *precursor of bar coding. Eijii too
went on a visit to America and became
convinced that he could beat US car
firms on quality. Toyota introduced
and followed kaizen, the philosophy of
continuous improvement and cost
cutting, that has helped to make Toyota
the *byword for quality and value for
money it is today. By the time Eijii
stepped down in 1994 at the age of
81 car executives from Detroit were
visiting Toyota city.
In recent years, JIT and the Toyota way
of doing things have become widely
accepted not just in the motor industr y
but elsewhere too. However, even
Toyota has suffered as a result of the
recent economic crisis and is feeling
the pressure from a new generation of
hungry competitors. To make matters
worse, its reputation has been tarnished
by technical faults in some of the cars.
It goes to show that the line between
triumph and disaster is often a narrow
one. One slip can lead to a mighty fall.
The innovators
Glossary
*byword = a typical example of
*emulate = copy
*precursor = something that comes before and influences something else

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 12
Exercises
1 Work with a partner and discuss these questions?
1 Do you think invention and innovation are the same thing?
2 Can you name any inventors / innovators from your own country?
3 What objects do you have with you that are the result of steps forward in
innovation?
2 Read the first paragraph of the text quickly. What are the names of the
two companies and why are they being written about?
3 Read the rest of the text and note down what these figures refer to.
1 1885:
2 15 minutes:
3 1903:
4 half:
5 $5:
6 1894:
7 1947:
8 81:
4 List the important innovations and achievements that were made by the
two companies.
5 Match 1–8 to a–h to make collocations from the text.
1 commercially
a competitor
2 enormous
b line
3 assembly
c faults
4 cost
d crisis
5 technical
e cutting
6 supply
f impact
7 hungry
g chain
6 economic
h viable
6 Match the business concepts in bold in the text to definitions 1–6.
1 taking another company’s product to pieces and examining it so that you can
copy it:
2 the fact that the more units of something that are produced, the cost of each
unit decreases:
3 the ongoing commitment to improvement and cost-cutting:
4 making sure that parts and components arrive a short time before you need
them:
5 the great number of ordinary people with ordinary incomes who can buy a
product or service:
6 the highest standard of quality or performance that others in the same industry
try to follow:
7 Which concepts from 6 do you use, or could you use in your business?
8 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
9 Work in a small group. Discuss how possible it is for a company to
constantly improve and innovate. Is it inevitable that companies lose
their market position over time?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 13
It is a sad fact of life that things can
and do go wrong. Sooner or later a
firm is going to be faced with a crisis.
How the firm handles it can determine
whether the crisis develops into a
catastrophe. Snow Brand dairy food
products of Japan is a lesson in how
not to manage a crisis. In 2000, 15,000
people were affected by food poisoning
after consuming its products. At first,
the company resisted calls by Osaka
council for a general recall, but when
it eventually gave way, it tried to save
face by claiming that the recall was
voluntar y. When the story got out,
the public was outraged. To make
matters worse, Snow Brand lied about
the source of the contamination, saying
that the equipment where it occurred
was rarely used. In fact it was used
every day. The fall out was disastrous:
its president and seven senior
executives were forced to resign, eight
factories closed down, and the firm lost
$430 million. Since the incident, it has
returned to about 30% of the market
but has lost its once dominant position.
Johnson and Johnson has had more
than its share of crises to deal with.
In 1982 it had over a third of the
over-the-counter painkiller market.
Its product Tylenol was the market
leader. Then disaster struck: someone
tampered with its Tylenol pain-killer
by adding poison and seven people
died. The company’s value dropped by
$1 billion. But when a similar situation
occurred in 1986, it acted decisively.
It recalled Tylenol from all its sales
outlets and decided not to re-introduce
it until it had come up with a tamper-
proof packaging. Of course, the
second scare had an impact but the
company’s response and its willingness
to introduce further safety measures
meant it had won back 70% of its
market share within just five months.
Pepsi too was the target of a product
tampering scare when a syringe was
allegedly found in one of its soft drink
tins. This led to copycat incidents all
over the country. Pepsi handled the
crisis by showing films of its canning
plants on TV, proving to the public
that contamination was impossible. It
also showed a clip of a supermarket
customer putting a syringe into a can
while the cashier’s back was turned!
The crisis was short-lived and the
public was reassured. Eventually all the
accusations were proved to be false.
However, it cost the company dear, and
led to a short-term drop in profits, but
at least a full-blown catastrophe was
averted.
By contrast, Perrier’s botched
handling of a benzene contamination
problem (due to negligence rather
than tampering) was catastrophically
handled. It led to the eventual recall
of 160 million bottles and more than
five years to make good the damage to
Perrier’s reputation.
So the lessons that we can learn from
this is that no one is immune to a
crisis. Inevitably, the company suffers
in the short term, as consumer panic is
followed by a drop in sales and share
value. But the way the firm handles
the breakdown determines how long
the difficulties will last and how full
a recovery it makes. The openness
and sincerity with which it deals
with the problem are all important.
There will be losses, there will be
pain, but skillfully dealt with, this can
be cut short and the company can
bounce back. It may even enhance its
reputation in the longer term.
When things go wrong

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 13
Exercises
1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1 Has there ever been a health or safety scare in your country where a well-
known product caused illness or injury?
2 How well did the company handle the crisis? Did it recall the product?
3 What were the consequences for the firm?
2 Read the first paragraph of the text. What major mistakes did Snow Brand
make? What were the consequences for the business?
3 Read the rest of the text and complete this table.
Company
Cause of the crisis Company’s response Consequences
Johnson & Johnson
Pepsi
Perrier
4 Imagine it is the year 2000. You are talking to the President of Snow Brand
when the news about the food poisoning outbreak comes in. What advice
do you give to its president?
5 Match 1–7 to a– g to form collocations from the text.
1 save
a face
2 dominant
b tampering
3 product
c decisively
4 safety
d term
5 act
e share
6 market
f position
7 short / long
g measures
6 Replace the words in italics with the words in bold in the text. Make any
other changes that are necessary.
1 You don’t have to join the scheme if you don’t want to, it’s entirely your decision.
2 People were absolutely furious when they found out the truth.
3 The consequences of the report were devastating for the company.
4 The assassination attempt was badly handled and the president was unharmed.
5 People can’t mess around with the containers now: we have changed the
packaging.
6 We managed to avoid a complete scandal by telling the press the truth.
7 There was a bomb alert at the shopping centre, but it turned out to be a hoax.
7 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
8 Read the definition of hindsight. People say that hindsight always has
20/20 vision. What do you think this means? Do you agree?
Hindsight: the understanding of a situation that you have only after it has
happened and that means you would have done things in a different way.
9 Can you think of a time when, with hindsight, you would have handled a
business problem differently?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 14
On Valentine’s day, you may give or
be given a bunch of red roses. But
have you ever considered how they
got to you? It is a remarkable process,
for most of the roses in high street
florists or supermarkets in the UK have
travelled hundreds, if not thousands,
of miles. The world’s number one
producer of roses for Britain is currently
Kenya with around a quarter of the
overall UK flower market. Israel and
Colombia each have about 16%.
Kenya is able to exploit a comparative
advantage for flower growing. Most of
the flower farms are in the Rift Valley
that supplies the water. It has an ideal
climate and lots of cheap labour. In
2008 it had €300 million worth of
flower exports, just under 10% of the
countr y’s export income. It directly
employs around ten thousand people
and feeds ten times that number. Even
though the climate is ideal, most flowers
are produced in greenhouses to protect
them from the occasional hailstorm
or from becoming wet before they are
harvested. Wet flowers rot quickly,
so they need to be picked while the
blooms are dry. Having them indoors
also facilitates spraying and pest
control. Picking them at the right time
is crucial and flower growers have to
know how to manipulate flowering time.
Once the flowers are picked it is a race
against time. They are boxed without
water and cooled to keep them as
fresh as possible. They are taken from
the farms to the hub at Nairobi. Some
big Kenyan flower producers prefer
to sell directly to their main markets.
Roses are sent direct to Miami to be
distributed to other sites in the US. The
Kenyan operation tries to add value by
preparing the roses in cellophane and
barcoding them so that they can go
straight to the retail outlet. They can be
almost anywhere in the US within 48
hours of being cut.
However, the majority of flowers
go to Alasmeer market, the biggest
flower market in the world, just outside
Amsterdam. It has one million square
metres of warehouse space and up to
twenty million flowers a day are sold
there. Six thousand producers send their
flowers to Amsterdam from all over the
world. Wholesalers bid for them: prices
start high and then are lowered – the
classic Dutch auction. Thousands of
transactions take place in a short space
of time. Wholesalers buy them then
re-export them to other markets across
the globe. They are rushed to the UK by
plane or in refrigerated trucks and are
delivered to florists.
We may all ask ourselves what this
means for the environment and the
carbon footprint that is involved
in transporting flowers such large
distances. Surprisingly, research carried
out by Cranfield University discovered
that roses grown by the Dutch had
a carbon footprint six times higher
than those produced in Kenya. This is
because vast amounts of energy are
used to provide the heat and light that
roses need. This is free and plentiful in
Kenya, but has to be provided by other
means in Holland.
But there is one caveat to this apparent
success stor y. Despite the industr y
being a money earner for Kenya and
providing much-needed employment
for the population, conditions on the
farms are far from rosy. Wages are
extremely low, as little as 10 pence an
hour, and the mainly female workforce
has little job security. For this reason,
the industry has been targeted by
the Fairtrade Foundation in a bid to
improve workers’ terms and conditions.
Now, many outlets stock Fairtrade
flowers from Kenya, but there is a
long way to go to improve workers’
conditions throughout the Kenyan
flower industr y.
Thor ny issues

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 14
Exercises
1 Work with a partner and answer these questions.
1 How often do you buy or receive cut flowers as a gift? What are the occasions?
2 What are the most popular flowers in your country? What is the etiquette
about giving them?
3 As far as you know, where do the flowers you buy or are given come from?
2 Read an article from a British newspaper about Valentine’s Day roses and
create a flow chart from when they are picked to when they reach the
customer in the UK.
3 Read the text again and answer the questions.
1 What makes Kenya an ideal place to grow roses?
2 How important is the flower export industry to Kenya?
3 Why are roses grown in greenhouses?
4 Where are the two main destinations for the roses?
5 What is special about the Alasmeer flower market, and the way the flowers
are sold?
6 What is surprising about the carbon footprints of Dutch roses and Kenyan
roses?
7 What is the negative side of the rose-growing business in Kenya?
8 How is this being addressed?
4 Match 1–8 to a–h to make collocations from the text.
1 retail
a value
2 cheap
b space
3 job
c advantage
4 carbon
d earner
5 comparative
e footprint
6 add
f security
7 warehouse
g outlet
8 money
h labour
5 Using the text to help you, decide what the collocations in 4 mean.
6 Work with a partner. What do you think the three following expressions
mean?
1 a thorny issue
2 It is a race against time.
3 Conditions are far from rosy.
7 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
8 Work in pairs or groups and discuss these questions.
1 After reading the article, would you think twice about buying roses from
Kenya?
2 How important is it that people in producing countries receive more for their
labour? Who do you think makes the profits?
3 What would happen if people boycotted Kenyan flowers?
4 Buying cut flowers adds to mankind’s carbon footprint. Do you think we should
offer carbon neutral gifts?

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Background
Reading file 15
Memo
To: Sales and Marketing staff
From: Heidi Bauer. Head of Human Resources.
In last year’s questionnaire concerning existing appraisal procedures we detected
a generally negative perception of how the process was conducted. Accordingly,
and in a spirit of openness we will be introducing a new method of appraisal to
replace or sit alongside the existing system and we will be trialling it this year with
the Sales and Marketing Departments.
This new method is commonly called 360-degree feedback and gives more than
just our line manager a say in how we are performing. With your agreement and
participation, it will form part of our desire to create a more open, participative,
and supportive working culture. This proposal has already been discussed with the
union and staff association, and neither body has raised any substantial objection
to the scheme. If you have any immediate misgiving then you should contact your
representative directly.
This short summary explains a little about how the process works:
360-degree feedback is a paper-based system where your co-workers, above,
below, and alongside you will give their candid assessment of you and your
work in the form of a questionnaire. You will also have the opportunity for
self-assessment. The appraisals are entirely anonymous and will be filtered
by a facilitator. The facilitator will then give feedback to the member of staff
concerned. This will be a totally private and confidential meeting. The underlying
idea is to give an appraisal that draws out general points about a person’s
performance and general behaviour.
In accordance with the wishes of staff representatives, it has been decided that
this system will be on an entirely voluntary basis during the experimental and
introductory stage. In addition, participants will be allowed to select their own
appraisers, and where possible, facilitator. If this experiment is successful it
is envisaged that this could eventually replace our existing forms of appraisal
throughout the whole company.
We would like to assure everybody involved that designated facilitators will
receive the necessary training to lead the feedback. We have drawn on the
advice and expertise of a leading firm of human resources experts. We have also
spoken to other organizations where this appraisal method is in place and the
response to it has been overwhelmingly favourable.
The aim of the exercise is to help all of us perform better through being more
self-aware. It is not intended to intimidate or undermine individuals. Appraisals
will focus on people’s perceived strengths as well as their weaknesses. Appraisers
should not use the process as a way of mounting a personal attack.
There will be a series of meetings scheduled where we can discuss this proposal
further. Nothing has been settled and everybody will have the opportunity to make
his or her opinion heard.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Reading file 15
Exercises
1 Work with a partner and discuss these questions.
1 In your job how do you know how well you are doing?
2 How fair is the system used in your company?
2 Read the text and decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F).
1 The system depends on colleagues speaking to the facilitator.
2 The facilitator eventually speaks to the member of staff in question.
3 The facilitator tells the person exactly what has been written about him/her.
4 Staff members don’t have to participate if they don’t want to.
5 Participants will always be able to choose their appraisers and facilitator.
6 The process should help people understand themselves better.
7 The new system is an opportunity to take your revenge on colleagues.
8 There will be a single meeting where people can express their ideas.
3 Work with a partner. Create a flow chart of how the system works.
4 Word-building. Follow the instructions for 1–3.
1 Make nouns from these verbs.
appraise
facilitate
behave
per form
participate
represent
2 Make adjectives from these verbs.
participate
support
introduce
experiment
volunteer
3 Make nouns from these adjectives.
strong
weak
5 Complete the sentences by solving the anagrams.
1 Have you had any
about the new proposals yet? FECDEBAK
2We
a lot of people resisting the suggested changes. EINASGVE
3 You can’t repeat exactly what was written, you need to
it first.
ITLFER
4 Her constant criticism has
his self-confidence. DUNERMIEND
5 As far as I am concerned, the subject is
, I don’t want to talk about it
any more. ESTLTED
6 What is the
philosophy behind this change? DUNELRYIGN
6 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
7 Work in small groups. Discuss these questions.
1 How well do you think the 360-degree feedback would work in your company?
2 Are there different countries or cultures where you think it would work better?
8 The Scottish poet Robert Burns thought that self-k nowledge was a good
thing. What do you think he meant when he wrote this? How far do you
agree with him?
(Oh would some power the gift give
us, to see ourselves as others see us.)
Oh wad some power the giftie gie us,
to see oursel’s as others see us!
‘‘
’’

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for gist, scanning for specific information,
reading for detailed comprehension, looking at verb
+ proposition phrases, and giving opinions about
information in a text.
1 Ask students to work in pairs to discuss the questions
then take feedback from the whole class.
2 Ask students to work in pairs again for this jigsaw
reading activity. Ask students to keep text face down
until it is time to read. This ensures they scan the text
rather than read it slowly and in too much detail for this
stage of the lesson. Ask those that are Student A to read
about Veronica and the others who are Student B to read
about Edwin. If you are teaching a one-to-one lesson,
you will need to be Student B.
Tell students they need to find out why each person
has changed jobs and to see if the answer matches
with their ideas from exercise 1. Ask them to read their
texts quickly (give them a time limit) and then tell their
partner what they found out.
Answer
They both changed jobs partly because they were not
motivated in their old job. Veronica needed something
more challenging and better paid and Edwin wanted to do
a job that would make a difference to other people’s lives.
Ask students to read their texts again and underline
three things that they think are interesting. Then ask
them to tell their partner what they chose and why.
The purpose of this exercise is for them to find and
interpret information based on their opinions. By telling
their partner what they found, the idea is to get them to
interpret and report what they read rather than simply
reading it verbatim from the text.
Take feedback from the whole class about what they
chose.
Answer
Students’ own answers.
3 Ask students to work through this exercise individually.
Then ask them to work in pairs and compare their
answers. Take feedback from the whole class.
Answers
1 F. We do not know how long Edwin was in his job for.
2T.
3 F. Veronica did go to college to study project
management but Edwin needed no training.
4 F. Neither of them are desk bound.
5 T. Veronica helps her clients fulfill their event demands
and Edwin helps people in need of charity.
6T.
4 Get students to work in pairs to match the verbs and
prepositions. If they are struggling, get them to refer to
the text. Check answers with the whole class.
Answers
1h2c3b/d4g5b/d6e7a8f
5 Ask students to discuss what they think the verb +
preposition phrases mean. Get them to look at them in
the context of the text.
Answers
1 come up with: to think of an idea
2 decide to: make your mind up to do something
3 find out: discover
4 focus on: to concentrate your efforts on something
5 get out: do things outside of the home or office
6 look for: search for
7 stay in: remain inside something
8 think about: consider
6 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers in pairs giving reasons for
their choice.
7 Get students to discuss their answer to this question in
pairs before you take feedback from the class.
Answers
Answers will vary but students may mention improvements
in working hours, pay, levels of motivation, etc.
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 1

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 10
Learning objectives in this lesson
Predicting, reading for gist, reading for specific
information, scanning for key vocabulary from the text,
transferring ideas and vocabulary from the text to a
communicative task.
1 Ask students to work in pairs and discuss their answers
to the questions one by one. Then take any interesting
feedback as a class.
2 Make this a quick whole class activity. Ask students to
offer any ideas they have. Note all the students’ ideas
down for everyone to see.
3 Give out the text and allow students 2–3 minutes to
read it quickly. Then as a whole class discuss if the
predictions they gave matched the ideas in the text.
4 Ask students to read the text more carefully. Then
ask them to discuss in pairs the advantages and
disadvantages of each office system. Afterwards, check
their answers as a whole class.
Answers
Individual office
Advantages: quite, private
Disadvantages: lonely, feels like people are staring at you
the whole time
Shared office
Advantages: quieter than open plan
Disadvantages: very difficult if you don’t like the other
person
Open-plan office
Advantages: sociable, good for gossip
Disadvantages: noisy, often no natural light, no privacy
Cubicle layout
Advantages: everyone has their own individual space
Disadvantages: same noise as open-plan, but none of the
sociability
Hot desking
Advantages: cheaper for the company
Disadvantages: people feel rootless
The author seems to like the cubicle layout the least.
5 Ask students to discuss the question in small groups for
2–3 minutes. Then get them to share any particularly
interesting or funny comments with the class.
6 Encourage students to scan the text for the collocations,
rather than just guessing. As an extra activity, once they
have found all the collocations, you could ask them to
work in pairs to create more sentences with them.
Answers
1f2c3a4b5h6e7d8g
7 This exercise can be done individually and then you
can compare answers as a class. Students can look back
at the text for the words if they find the anagrams too
difficult.
Answers
1 anonymous
2 eavesdropping
3 gossip
4 maze
5 downside
8 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
9 Students work in small groups to carry out the task.
Give them 10–15 minutes to discuss the best way to use
the space. Ask each group to create a basic plan of the
offices. Afterwards each group can present their plan to
the class. Encourage the rest of the class to ask questions
and make comments on the different plans.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 11
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for gist, allocating headings to text, reading for
detailed comprehension, focusing on key vocabulary
from the text, using vocabulary from the text, and giving
opinions about the topic of the text.
1 Ask students to read the statements carefully then get
a show of hands for each statement. You could ask if
anyone has any examples of a decision they have made
recently. Discuss if they did really follow the style in
the statement they selected as their preferred decision-
making style.
2 Give out the text and allow students 2–3 minutes to read
it quickly. Elicit what the text was about in general then,
as a class, assign each paragraph one of the headings.
Answers
1 Ancient or modern?
2 Suppor ting decisions
3 Leaders and managers
4 At home and at work
3 Ask students to read the text again, this time
answering the questions as they go through it. Check
answers as a class.
Answers
1 They thought that it was a forgery.
2 They believed the scientific analysis.
3 By supporting their decisions with detailed analysis of
cost, time, etc.
4 Because they have to make decisions about the future
about which they don’t always have hard facts.
5 Nokia transformed itself from a wood producer to a
telecommunications company.
6 Personal decisions are often based on what feels right,
rather than weighing up factual evidence.
4/5 Students can work in pairs to do these activities. Get
them to scan the text to find the collocations. Once they
have matched all seven collocations, they can discuss
from the context the meaning of each one. Afterwards
check their answers as a class. As a follow-up and to
check they have understood the collocations, you could
ask students to come up with some more sentences using
the collocations.
Answers
Scientific analysis = thorough, evidence-based analysis
Hard facts = real facts
Marketing research = research to find out about trends,
preferences, etc.
Carbon footprint = the amount of CO2 emissions someone
creates
Capital project = a long-term project to acquire, develop,
or improve an asset, e.g. land/buildings
Strategic decision = a long-term decision which affects
the overall goals of a company
Perfect example = something that illustrates a point
precisely
6 Students can work in pairs to carry out this exercise. Get
them to scan the text for the expressions in italics. From
the context in the text, they should be able to deduce the
meaning of the phrases. As a follow-up to this, you could
ask students to think of occasions where something got
the ‘thumbs down’ or the ‘green light’ or when the ‘jury
was out’. Equally, get students to share stories of when
they ‘stuck their neck out’ or ‘played safe’ or were a
‘scapegoat’.
Answers
1a2c3a4b5b6a
7 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
8 Get students to discuss this question in small groups.
After a few minutes of discussion, get each group to feed
back to the class and compare their ideas with other
groups.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 12
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for gist, scanning for specific information,
reading for details, focusing on key vocabulary from the
text, applying key vocabulary from the text to personal
circumstances, and discussing and giving opinions about
the topic of the text.
1 Get students to work in pairs to discuss the questions,
then ask them to share their ideas with the rest of the
class.
2 Hand out the text. Read out the questions then give
students thirty second to find the answers in the first
paragraph.
Answers
Ford brought cars to the mass market.
Toyota brought quality and reliability to the manufacturing
of cars.
3 Get students to read the rest of the text carefully and
notes down what the figures refer to. They could compare
answer in pairs before checking them as a class.
Answers
1 Karl Benz invented the first petrol driven vehicle.
2 Ford’s assembly line meant one car was produced every
15 minutes.
3 The Ford motor company was founded.
4 In 1918, this was the proportion of cars on the road
that were Model T Fords.
5 the daily wage for Ford workers in 1918.
6 Kiichiro Toyoda was born.
7 Toyota started producing passenger cars.
8 Eijii’s age when he retired.
4 You could do this as a whole class activity – draw a table
on the board and elicit answers from the class as they
scan the text again. Or if your students prefer to work
individually, give them three minutes to start making a
list, then elicit their answers.
Answers
Ford
Toyota
Moving assembly line
One worker per task
One car every 15 minutes
‘Just in time’ supply chain
Kanban – forerunner of
barcodes
Kaizen – continuous
improvement
Extra activity
As a follow-up, you could ask students to think about
innovations in the car industry as a whole – the new
technologies that are found in cars, from electric
windows to air conditioning to power steering, up to the
more modern use of computers to control the workings
of the car. Ask students what car technology they could
not do without now.
5 Encourage students to look back through the text to find
the collocations to help them complete this exercise.
Once they have matched the collocations, get them to
discuss in pairs what each one means. As a follow-up,
you could ask them to create new sentences with the
collocations to check their understanding.
Answers
1h2f3b4e5c6g7a8d
6 Get students to discuss these questions in pairs before
feeding back to the class.
Answers
1 reverse engineering
2 economies of scale
3 continuous improvement
4 just in time
5 mass market
6 benchmark
7 Make sure students fully understand the concepts in 6
before getting them to discuss them in pairs in relation
to their own work. Give them a few minutes and then ask
each pair to feed back one interesting thing that came up
in their discussion.
8 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
9 Get students to discuss this in small groups. You could
kick off the discussion by asking them in what ways their
companies have improved over the last 10–20 years
and what might have happened if they hadn’t made
that improvement. Finish off by eliciting some of the
interesting ideas that came up in the discussions.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 13
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for detailed information, applying details from
the text to a speaking activity, focusing on key vocabulary
from the text, and using vocabulary from the text.
1 Put students into pairs and allow them a few minutes
to discuss the questions. If they can’t think of any
examples, you could suggest they discuss an example
from any country, e.g. the Toyota recall of 2010 due to
problems with the brakes.
2 Students read the first paragraph carefully and note down
the answers to the question. Take feedback from the
whole class until all the infor mation has been elicited.
Answers
Mistakes the company made: it allowed a piece of
machinery to become contaminated, thereby affecting the
product; it refused to recall the product at first; eventually
it recalled it but lied about the recall being enforced; it
lied about the source of the contamination.
Consequences: 15,000 people affected by food poisoning;
public outrage when the full story got out; the president
and several senior executives resigned; factories were
closed down; they lost $430 million; they have lost their
market position.
3 Allow students time to read the rest of the text carefully.
They could then work in pairs to complete the table.
Answers
Company Cause of the
crisis
Company’s
response
Consequences
Johnson
&
Johnson
Product
tampering
leading to 7
deaths
Recalled
the product;
resigned the
packaging
to make it
tamper-proof
Initially
dropped in
value by $1
billion, but
soon regained
70% of its
market share.
Pepsi
A product
tampering
hoax
Proved it was
a hoax by
publishing
footage of
a customer
tampering with
the product.
Also showed
footage of the
canning plant.
The public
was reassured,
but there was
still a short-
term drop in
profits
Perrier Product
contamination
due to
negligence
Recalled 160
million bottles
Took five years
to regain its
reputation
4 Get students to discuss this in small groups then feed
back to the class.
Answers
Answers will vary, but may include ideas like: Act quickly
and decisively, find out the facts, be honest with the
public, recall the product if necessary, take steps to
ensure it won’t happen again.
5 Encourage students to look back at the text to help them
find the collocations. Afterwards, discuss what each
collocation means.
Answers
1a2f3b4g5c6e7d
6 Explain to students before they do the exercise that
the words in bold in the text might not directly replace
the words in italics in the exercise – they may need to
reword the sentence slightly to make it grammatically
correct.
Answers
1 voluntary
2 outraged
3 fall out (also change were to was in the sentence)
4 botched
5 tamper-proof (change word order to: The containers are
now tamper-proof...)
6 avert; full-blown
7 scare
7 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
8 Discuss these questions as a class.
9 Allow students a few minutes to discuss the question in
pairs or small groups, then get them to feed back some
interesting examples to the whole class.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 14
Learning objectives for this lesson
Applying information from the text into diagrammatic
form, scanning for specific information, focusing on key
vocabulary from the text, using vocabulary from the
text, and giving opinions about the topic of the text.
1 Elicit answers to the questions from the class.
2 Allow students a few minutes to read the text
individually, then get them to work in pairs to produce
the flow chart. They could do this on paper or on their
computers. Then compare the flow charts and make
sure everyone has included all stages of the process. As
a follow-up, you could analyse the language they used
in the flow chart and see if they have correctly use the
passive voice.
Possible answer
Flowers are grown in greenhouses in Kenya.
▼
They are picked whilst dry and put into boxes at the farm.
▼
The boxes are then cooled.
▼
They are taken to Nairobi.
▼
Then they are sent to Alasmeer market near Amsterdam.
▼
They are auctioned off at Alasmeer market.
▼
They are quickly transported to retailers in the UK.
▼
Finally they are sold to the individual customer.
3 Students can scan the text this time to find the answers
to the questions. Give them five minutes to do the
exercise, then elicit answers from the class.
Answers
1 The climate and lots of cheap labour.
2 It makes up 10% of export revenue, so it is very
important.
3 To protect them from hail, keep them dry for picking,
and to enable effective spraying and pest control.
4 The USA and Alasmeer market in the Netherlands.
5 It is the largest flower market in the world. The flowers
are sold by the Dutch auction method – prices start
high and then get lower until someone bids.
6 Dutch flowers have a higher carbon footprint than
Kenyan flowers despite travelling much shorter distances.
This is because of the energy needed to grow them.
7 The farm workers often have very bad working
conditions and are paid very little.
8 The Fairtrade Foundation is working to improve the
conditions of the workers.
4/5 Encourage students to scan the text for the
collocations and then to discuss with a partner the
meaning of each one. Then elicit answers from the class.
Answers
1 retail outlet = a shop
2 cheap labour = people working for low wages
3 job security = the knowledge that the job is permanent
4 carbon footprint = the amount of carbon emissions
created by an activity
5 comparative advantage = an advantageous position
over competitors
6 add value = improve the value of a product by adding
something to it
7 warehouse space = the total area for storage
8 money earner = an activity that enables someone to
make a lot of money
6 Ask students to work in pairs to find the phrases in the
text and work out from the context their meaning.
Answers
1 a problematic or complicated subject
2 it must be done extremely quickly
3 conditions are not good at all
7 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
8 Allow students to discuss these questions for as long as
they need to, then take feedback from each group or pair
on any interesting points they raised. The discussion
could continue as a whole class activity.
As a follow-up you could get students to think about
how to solve the issue of labour exploitation in some
countries. They could work in small groups to come up
with a solution and then present it to the class.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 15
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for specific information, creating a
diagrammatic summary of the text, scanning for
vocabulary, word-building, focusing on key vocabulary
from the text, using vocabulary from the text, and giving
opinions about the topic of the text.
1 If the group is from the same company you could do
this exercise as a whole class. Otherwise, put students
into pairs and get them to share information about their
companies’ practices. Then feed back to the class.
2 Students should complete this exercise individually
and then check their answers in pairs. Finally, elicit the
answers as a class to check they have got them right.
Answers
1 F (colleagues fill in a paper-based questionnaire)
2T
3 F (the information is filtered first)
4T
5 F (they can choose their appraisers, but may not be
able to choose the facilitator)
6T
7F
8 F (there will be a series of meetings)
3 You could get students to do this on large pieces of paper
or in PowerPoint, and then compare their flow charts
with others’.
Answer
The final flow chart might look something like this:
Facilitator is selected
▼
Appraisee selects his / her appraisers
▼
Appraisers fill out questionnaire
▼
Facilitator filters and collates responses from
questionnaires
▼
Facilitator meets with appraisee to discuss findings
4 Ask students to look back through the text for words that
fit. They can then compare their answers in pairs before
feeding back to the class. They may want to use other
words than those they find in the text.
Answers
1
Appraise
▼
appraisal / appraiser / appraisee
Facilitate
▼
facilit ator
Behave
▼
behaviour
Perform
▼
performance / performer
Participate
▼
participation / participant
Represent
▼
representative / representation
2
Participate
▼
participative / participatory
Support
▼
supportive
Introduce
▼
introductory
Experiment
▼
experimental
Volunteer
▼
voluntary
3
Strong
▼
strength
Weak
▼
weakness
5 Encourage students to scan the text for the words, if they
find the anagrams too difficult.
Answers
1 feedback
2 envisage
3 filter
4 undermined
5 settled
6 underlying
6 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
7 Put students into small groups to discuss the questions.
After a few minutes, ask them to feed back any
interesting points or ideas raised.
8 The quote is given in its original Old Scots and in
translation in modern English. It essentially means
we would be in a powerful position if we were able to
see how others see us. You should check that students
understand this before getting them to discuss whether
they agree with it or not. Treat this as a small group
exercise, and take feedback once the discussions have
dried up.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for gist, scanning for specific information,
reading for detailed comprehension, paraphrasing and
giving opinions about ideas in the text.
1 Ask students to work in pairs to discuss the questions
then take feedback from the whole class. Make a note of
their ideas from questions 3 and 4 so that you can refer
to them in the feedback to task 2.
Suggested answers
1 Students’ own answers
2 Typical shift-work jobs are: manufacturing / production
jobs, nurses, doctors, call-centre workers, supermarket
workers, security jobs, engineers, etc.
3 Pros: it can be useful to work night shifts if you have
a family to look after in the daytime.
Cons: working shifts, especially at night can be tiring
and it might be difficult to use public transport at night.
4 Students’ own answers
2 Give out the text, putting it face-down until ready so
that students don’t have too long to read it. Ask students
to read the text to find out if any of their ideas are
mentioned. Give them a time limit (2 minutes) to do
this to encourage skimming. Get students to compare
answers with a partner before taking class feedback. As
you take feedback compare what students read to what
they thought about in exercise 1, question 4.
3 Ask students to read the text again to decide whether the
statements are true or false. Encourage them to think of
why the sentences are true or false so they can justify
their answers later. Allow them to work in pairs before
taking class feedback.
Answers
1 T (women’s health seems to be affected more by
working long hours and shifts)
2 T (17% is almost 20% which is one fifth)
3 F (all shift workers tend to have a poor diet)
4 F (they do shift work and then home tasks)
5 T (healthier staff are more productive)
4 If you have a one-to-one class the student can be
Student A and you take the B role. W hen students swap
information, encourage them to use their own words.
Suggested answers
Student A: risk of heart disease, breast cancer, peptic
ulcer, sleep disturbance, complications in pregnancy,
accidents, sleep and sunlight deprivation, poor diet and
lack of exercise, doing domestic chores after a night at work
Student B: allow sufficient breaks and days off to ensure
workers get enough sleep; have good quality lights to
help simulate daylight to help to keep workers feeling
fresh throughout the shift; have quality food available and
regular exercise during their shift.
5 Get students to work in pairs and look at the words in
bold to see them in context and then to match them to
the definitions. After a few m inutes, take feedback from
the class.
Answers
1 accommodate
2 square meal
3 chore
4 inevitable
5 alert
6 simulate
7 deprivation
8 revive
6 Working in pairs again, get students to use the words
in their own sentences. When you take feedback, check
for the correct use of the word rather than a completely
accurate sentence.
7 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful for their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers in pairs giving reasons
why.
8 Ask students what they think of the advice in the text,
would they follow any of it?
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 2

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for gist, scanning for specific information,
reading for detailed comprehension, and giving opinions
about ideas based on those in the text.
1 You could begin the lesson by asking the students what
the following cities have in common: Athens, Atlanta,
Beijing, London, Sydney.
Answer
They are all Olympic cities: Athens (2004), Atlanta
(1996), Beijing (2008), London (2012), Sydney (2000).
Then work through the four questions with the class.
Answers and suggested answers
1 Paul Deighton is the CEO of the London Olympic
Committee.
2 To organize / project manage the staging of the Olympic
Games in London in 2012.
3 Employing staff, ticket sales, overseeing the facilities,
getting funding, promoting the games, organizing the
opening ceremony, working to schedule and budget,
etc.
4 He will need to be very organized, level-headed,
realistic, good with people and be an experienced
project manager.
2 Give students the text keeping it face down until you
are ready so the students don’t read for too much detail.
Tell them they are going to read the text to find out
what the numbers represent. Give them a time limit so
they do this quickly rather than get bogged down in the
vocabulary. When students have finished, get them to
compare answers with a partner and then take class
feedback.
Answers
1 2012 – the year London has the Olympics
2 6 billion – the money that the games will bring to
London
3 38,000 – the number of jobs created by the games
4 300 – the number of people who applied for the CEO
post
5 100,000 – the number of workers that will be involved
with the London games
6 27 – the day the games start (27th July 2012)
3 Ask students to work through the questions individually
and compare answers with a partner. Then check
answers with the whole class.
Answers
1 He saw an advert for it in a magazine.
2 His wife encouraged him and he probably realized it was
a once-in-a -lifetime opportunity.
3 He needed a good management team to help ensure the
successful running of the games.
4 To build the venues for the games.
5 There are five mentioned in the text.
6 He is a Londoner.
4 Get students to work in pairs to match the words to
their correct definitions. Remind them to look for clues
in the text to help them. After a few minutes, take class
feedback.
Answers
1 major stakeholders
2 (a) boost
3 the nuts and bolts
4 (to) count on (somebody or something)
5 (be) credited with
6 headhunt
7 a stable job
8 public face
5 Working in pairs again, get students to use the words
in their own sentences. W hen you take feedback check
for the correct use of the word rather than a completely
accurate sentence.
6 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers in pairs giving reasons
why.
7 Get students to discuss the two questions in pairs and
then take class feedback.
8 You could ask students to work in small groups to
discuss their reactions to the quotes or do this as a
whole-class discussion. Encourage students to use
expressions for giving and asking for opinions.
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 3

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Skimming for the general point, scanning for specific
information, reading for detailed comprehension and
giving opinions about information in a text.
1 Get students to work in pairs to discuss the questions
then take whole-class feedback.
Suggested answers
Students might mention the following: in-flight service,
checking-in system (e.g. speedy / online check-in), safety,
security procedures, booking system (e.g. website), seat
reservations (most low-cost airlines have a free seating
policy – no seat reservations); comfort (e.g. beds); prices,
choice of destinations, etc.
2 Give students the text face-down (to stop them reading it
too soon). Tell them they are to read the text quickly and
to choose the best title for the article.
Answer
d Airline alliances: The pros and cons
3 Ask students to discuss their ideas in pairs before taking
whole-class feedback.
Answer
An airline alliance is when different airlines agree to work
together supposedly to be able to provide their customers
with a greater choice of flights and cheaper fares.
4 Get students to read the first paragraph and find the
relevant place names.
Answers
1 The place visited by the writer: Mexico
2 One place on the writer’s journey: Amsterdam
3 Possibly the writer’s home town: Prague
5 Get students to read the second paragraph and find the
relevant numbers.
Answers
1 The number of alliances mentioned in the text: 3
2 When the alliances first started:1997
3 The number of airlines in the largest alliance: 23
4 The number of airlines in the smallest alliance: 11
6 Ask students to read the text again noting the
advantages and disadvantages of airline alliances in
the table.
Answers
Advantages:
• reliability, high-quality service and extensive network
(SkyTeam)
• all of the alliances allow the business traveller to move
through the world more easily and more efficiently
• thanks to better connections and shared services the
airlines are able to offer more departure times and
cheaper fares
• more staff, greater rewards, easier check-in, and
smoother transfers
• reduced costs by sharing operational costs, staff, sales
offices and maintenance facilities
• US firms can gain access to the European markets
Disadvantages:
• When two competing airlines are in the same alliance
they share the routes meaning a reduction in services
and numbers of seats available and thus an increase
in price.
7 Get students to work in pairs and match the two parts of
the collocation. Then get them to check their answers in
the text before checking answers as a class.
Answers
1 a high-quality
6 d cheaper fares
2 i extensive network
7 g driving force
3 e business traveller
8 f local carrier
4 h departure times
9 c focus group
5 j operational costs
10 b foreseeable future
8 Get students to work in pairs to use the text to help them
work out the meaning from the context. Guide them as
necessary.
9 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner giving
reasons why.
Get students discuss the question in pairs or in small
groups and then take whole-class feedback.
10
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 4

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for gist, scanning for specific information,
reading for detailed comprehension and giving opinions
about information in a text.
1 Put students into pairs to discuss the questions then
take whole-class feedback. The questions are designed
to get students thinking about the context of the text to
prepare them to read. The second question is general so
they may come up with many of their own ideas about
the use of technology so don’t feel that you need to
guide them to talk about iPods.
2 Ask students to think about the pre-reading question.
Ask them to discuss it in pairs and then as a group. You
should make a note of their suggestions for comparison
after they have read the article. Give out the text telling
students to keep the text face-down until it’s time to
read. This ensures they skim the text and don’t read it
slowly and in too much detail at this stage of the lesson.
Tell them they are going to read the text quickly. Give
them a time limit if you wish. When they have finished
ask them if their ideas were right.
Answer
The answer is that people who go to gyms will be able to
plug an iPod nano into gym equipment to help them do
their exercises.
3 Ask students to read the text again more slowly trying
to put the ten words into the gaps in the text. Encourage
students to justify their answers. Before taking whole-
class feedback, encourage students to compare answers
with a partner. To choose the right word, students will
need to have understood the surrounding sentences.
Answers
1 teaming
6 features
2 enable
7 compare
3 motivate
8 customer
4 brilliant
9 personal
5 performing
10 lightweight
4 Students read the text to decide if the statements are
true or false. Encourage students to justify their answers.
Before taking whole-class feedback, encourage students
to compare answers with a partner.
Answers
1 F They connect but the iPod nano isn’t in the shoe.
2T
3T
4 F The text claims it will help them, not replace them.
5 F People were surprised about the online communities
that started because of the shoe.
6T
7T
8T
5 The eight words and phrases are from the text. Ask
students to work in pairs and decide if they know what
the words mean then match the word to the correct
definition.
Answers
1 to plug into
5 a gadget
2 goal
6 to work out
3 toteamup
7 to take into account
4 features
8 to tailor
6 Asking students to put the words into sentences
ensures they know how to use the word. Once students
have done the task in pairs, take whole-class feedback
to check.
7 This exercise allows students to choose words they
think are useful for them. When they have chosen three
words, encourage them to tell their partner / the class
why they have chosen those words as this helps check
the pronunciation, that they know what the word means
and how it works in a sentence.
8 Ask students to discuss the two opinions in pairs, then
hold the discussion as a class.
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 5

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Predicting, reading for gist, scanning for specific
information, reading for detailed comprehension,
paraphrasing and giving opinions about ideas in the text.
1 Put students in pairs to discuss the questions then take
whole-class feedback. The questions are designed to get
students thinking about the theme of business travel and
lead them in to the topic of the text
2 Ask students to read the first paragraph and then discuss
together what they think the rest of the text is about. The
answer is the last sentence of the first paragraph. This
allows you to check students understand the idea of a
‘do’s and don’ts’ list.
Answer
‘To help the business traveller we have compiled a list of
do’s and don’ts for those who travel with their laptops.’
3 Ask students to think about three pieces of advice they
would expect to find in the text. Ask them to discuss it
together and then as a group. You should make a note of
their suggestions for comparison after they have read the
ar ticle.
4 Give out the text telling students to keep it face-down
until it’s time to read. This ensures they scan the text
without reading it in too much detail at this stage of the
lesson. Tell students to read the text quickly. Give them a
time limit if you wish. When they have finished ask them
if their ideas were right / included in the text.
5 Students read the text again more slowly and decide
if the statements are true or false. Encourage students
to justify their answers. Before taking whole-class
feedback, encourage students to compare answers with
a partner.
Answers
1 F It’s happening to US citizens not to people travelling
to the US.
2T
3 F Laptops are not supposed to pass through metal
detectors.
4T
5 F Doesn’t say that, it says that those who draw
attention to themselves may be searched.
6T
6 Ask students to read the text and to try to answer the
four questions. Try and encourage them to answer
using their own words as this helps to check they have
understood the text. W hen students have answered
the questions, allow them to compare answers in pairs
before taking class feedback.
Answers
1 Because it will help to prevent attracting unwanted
attention from people who might want to steal it.
2 So that both security officers and thieves ignore you.
3 In case the laptop is stolen. That way you still have
second copy of what you need in order to do business.
4 If it is cheap or second hand then you can use it as ‘a
travel’ laptop so if it gets lost / stolen you won’t lose
everything.
7 Ask students to work in pairs. The idea is for them to
rephrase the advice using do or don’t .
Answers
1 Don’t leave your laptop anywhere. / Do keep it with you
all the time.
2 Don’t worry about your laptop being X-rayed. / Don’t
put your computer through a metal detector. / Do let
security hand check your computer.
3 Don’t lose your mouse.
4 Do leave your computer on stand by.
5 Do keep a low profile.
6 Don’t use your laptop in a busy place.
7 Do move if you think someone is watching your laptop.
8 Do have receipts with you.
9 Don’t carry back ups / flash disks with the laptop.
10 Do buy a cheap second-hand laptop.
8 Ask students to match the bold words to the correct
definitions.
Answers
1 compile
5 prove
2 a low profile
6 customs duty
3 pass through
7 freshen up
4 confiscate
8 drop off
9 This exercise allows students to choose words they think
are useful for them. When they have chosen three words,
encourage them to tell their partner / the class why they
have chosen those words as this helps both check the
pronunciation, that they know what the word means and
how it works in a sentence.
The exercise is a discussion to allow students to react
to the text. Get them to discuss the questions in small
groups before taking class feedback.
10
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 6

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 7
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for detailed comprehension, summarizing,
predicting, brainstorming ideas based on the text,
scanning for specific words, and discussing points made
in the text.
1 Ask students to work in pairs to discuss the questions,
then feed back to the whole class.
2 Give students the text and ask them to read just the first
two paragraphs and answer the questions. They could
read the paragraphs alone and then discuss the questions
in pairs.
Answers
1 Knowledge about mass-producing textiles.
2 It is often an employee or a visitor to the company.
3 Rival companies or foreign governments.
4 She was accused of stealing commercial secrets.
5 He was imprisoned for breaking into Ericsson’s intranet.
6 Ex-employees of Ferrari broke into their computer
system.
3 Students could work in pairs to do this exercise. Once
they have come up with a succinct summary, each pair
feeds back to the class to compare their summary with
the others’.
Possible answer
The type of crime the text is talking about is industrial
espionage, where a company’s plans or secrets or
processes are stolen and used by another company. More
often than not it is employees or ex-employees of the
company who commit the crime.
4 Put students into groups of, ideally, four or five. Give
them 3–4 minutes to brainstorm. You may need to
explain the principle of brainstorming which is that no
idea is wrong or bad, every suggestion should be noted
down, and assessed at a later stage.
5 Students finish reading the text and compare the points
made in the text to their own ideas. Get the groups
to feed back on how their lists compared with the
suggestions in the text. You could extend this activity by
asking students whether they think the points made in
the text are sensible or not.
6 Encourage students to scan the text for the collocations,
rather than just guessing.
Answers
1d2c3b4e5f6a
7 Students could discuss the answers in pairs, or refer back
to the text to help them.
Answers
1b2a3b4a
8 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
9 Get students to discuss the quotes in pairs and then feed
back to the class.
Possible answers
1 Be careful how much information you disclose, don’t
talk about the details of your research – somebody
might try to use it and pass it off as theirs.
2 Only permanent employees should work after hours.
3 Just make sure nobody takes photos or has any
recording equipment on them.

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Reading for specific information, focusing on key
vocabulary from the text, using vocabulary from the
text, and giving opinions about the topic of the text.
1 Begin by asking students what they do to increase their
chances of success in an interview or at work. Then ask
them to discuss the questions in pairs before feeding
back to the class.
2 Students read the first paragraph and answer the
questions individually.
Answers
1 No, but it is inevitable that this happens.
2 Between seven and fifteen seconds.
3 Again, students can do this exercise individually, and
then check their answers in pairs.
Answers
1c2a3b4c5c
4 Ask students to read the final two paragraphs
individually, and then elicit answers to the questions as a
whole-class activity.
Answers
1 They are perceived as an indication of the person’s
character.
2 Self-confidence shows in the way we carry ourselves,
positive body language can make you seem better
looking.
5 Treat this as a whole class activity. Elicit the answers
from the class and see if others agree.
Answers
A halo is the shining ring seen in pictures around the head
of an angel. The ‘halo effect’ is when people who are
perceived to be attractive are treated better by others.
6 The phrases in italics all appear in the text. Encourage
students to scan the text for the phrases to help them
complete the exercise.
Answers
1c2d3a4b
7 Students can work in small groups to complete this
task. If they can’t think of any occasions relating to
themselves, ask them to think of occasions cited in
the press about other people. Once the discussions die
down, ask each group to feed back on the funniest or
most original anecdote from that group.
8 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
9/10 Get students to discuss these questions in small
groups and then feed back to the class. Alternatively, you
could set this up as a debate:
Write on the board this proposition: ‘Appearance does
not affect performance or success at work.’ Divide the
class into those for the motion and those against. A llow
each side 10–15 minutes to prepare their arguments.
Then give each side three minutes to present them to
each other. The debate could end with a class vote on
the motion.
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 8

Business Result Second edition Intermediate
© Oxford University Press 2017
Learning objectives in this lesson
Close reading for detailed understanding, scanning for
key vocabulary, personalizing and extending the ideas
within the text.
1 Get students to work in pairs or groups and discuss the
questions. Then take feedback from the class as a whole.
2 Give students the text and set them a time limit of a
minute to read the first paragraph. Then take answers to
the questions as a class.
Answers
1 Mumbai in India.
2 A dabba is a metal container that contains someone’s
lunch. A Dabbawallah is the delivery man.
3 For two main reasons. Because of their religion and
caste they have specific dietary requirements that it is
not always easy to meet. Secondly, it is much cheaper
than eating out in a restaurant.
3 Give them a time limit of 1–2 minutes to read the second
paragraph and decide if the statements are true or false.
In feedback, ask students to justify their answers by
referring to the text.
Answers
1 F (the dabbas change hands several times)
2 F (they are mostly illiterate)
3T
4T
5T
4 Ask students to read the next three paragraphs then
get them to work in pairs to complete the duties of each
dabbawallah.
Answers
Dabbawallah 1: Picks up dabba
Dabbawallah 2: Sorts dabbas by code. Takes Dabbas with
black swastika to station
Dabbawallah 3: Picks up dabbas with yellow dot and
boards train
Dabbawallah 4: Takes dabbas with white cross and
delivers them to correct building
5 Ask students to read the final paragraph and work in
pairs to list the advantages and disadvantages. Then take
feedback as a whole class.
Answers
Advantages
A good job for an illiterate person with no skills
A job for life
A good wage by Indian standards
Disadvantages
Very hard work
Dangerous
6 Ask students to work in pairs and scan the text to look
for words that match the definitions. The words appear
in the text in the same order as the definitions are listed.
Answers
1 miracle
2 caste
3 illiterate
4 network
5 narrowed
6 monsoon
7 Treat this as a whole class activity and move briskly
through it.
Answers
1b2e3a4c5d
8 Ask students to look at the text again and find three
words that would be useful in their line of work. Get
them to discuss their answers with their partner, giving
reasons why.
9 Put students into small groups to discuss the questions.
Move from group to group and monitor their progress.
Ask prompt questions if they get stuck. Once they seem
to be running out of ideas, get each group to feed back
to the class. Encourage students to comment on others’
ideas.
Teacher’s notes | Reading file 9