Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Hello everyone!

Last english lesson we were listening an audio about corporate social responsibility. There, six speaker gave their statements.

The main points that were mentioned were that CSR can have many positive effects on a business, but it's not an option for any business. If a company is surviving hard times, it will not be able to afford to spend money on talented people.

There are several ways in which CSR can help companies cut costs or increase profits, such as: Reduce energy and fuel consumption or lower bills to save money.
A spokesman said that social responsibility for a company in the global market could be harmful. The reason for this is that cleaning the environment, ensuring product safety or spending too much.

I don't really have an opinion on this subject because I have not dealt with that topic before. But I think that it's not an unimportant topic.

Business Etiquette

Hello everyone!

In our last english lesson we were takling about business etiquettes and we have to list the three most important ones. As this times change, so do social norms for personal and professional behaviour, but that does not mean basic etiquette does not matter.

For me the most meaningful etiquette is that you should always say "Please" and "Thank you" for every case. But you should also be on time and don't interrupt your business partner is very substantial, too, because if you interrupt someone it is very unpolite and disrespect.

I think every business etiquette is important but these three are the most important ones for me. In business meetings this topic is very considerable for everyone.

Which business etiquettes are important for you? Please write them in the comments.

How to deal with a control freak

Hello everyone!

I was reading an article titled “How to deal with a control freak” some time ago in the magazine “Business Spotlight” of February 2017 and it talks about people who micromanage everything. I thought you might be interested because everyone knows at least one person who is a control freak.

Basically, what it says is that you should discuss the situation with the control freak rather than just “muttering under your breath”.

The author mentions that people who must always have the control of everything and micromanage every small detail don’t purposely annoy you. The person only wants to be as polished and professional as he can be. It is also said that most employee in offices have at least one control freak as a colleague, sometimes this person is the boss. If your boss is a controlling person you should let him the final say and do the things you have to do his way. Just suck it up and move forward with the instructions he mentioned.

It is also mentioned in the text that if you have problems with a control freak, for example with your boss, you should set up a meeting with your boss or supervisor where you and the other employee can each present your case. You should mention your own ideas and how to solve this problem or make a compromise with your boss. But keep in you mind, be always polite and patient.

I am sure that everyone knows one control freak and now you know how to handle with them. In my mind control freaks are not as obnoxious as the most think. Control freaks are often very impatient and don’t admit mistakes.

What do you think? How would you deal with a control freak?

Fat-free and happy

Hello,

I've just been reading an article about "Fat-Free and Happy" and it talks about clichés and cultures of America and Europe. I thought you might be interested because there are so many clichés of different states.

Basically what it says is that America has a different culture than Europe, so there are many different clichés, too. It also says that it's not true that America has no cultere, as many say. For example many things are bigger than in Europe, the glasses of Coca Cola or they eat more ice cream than us. The author also says that America is more tolerant than Europe. If you go to America you see much more gays and lesbians than in Europe.

I think that everyone should make their own image of a country and you should be careful with clichés. What do you think about clichés and culture of different countries? Write it in the comments.

Yours, 

Jasmin

Ice Breaker

Hello,

in the first english lesson after my summer holidays we talked about some Ice Breaker questions. Now I want to mention some questions with my personal answer.

• What is one goal you'd like to accomplish during your lifetime?
• Are you a morning or night person?
• Who is your hero?
• If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go?
• What kind of music do you listen to?
• Do you like city trips or relaxing on the sea?

Here are my answers:

• I really want to have a job which I love.
• I'm absolutelly a night person.
• My hero is my mum.
• If i could visit any place I would visit the United States because it's so big and you can do lots of thing there.
• I listen to Hip Hop, Rock and some House and Dupstep music.
• I really like relaxing on the sea but I think city trips are more interesting, that's why I like city trips most.

If you have any questions be free to ask them in the comments.

Valentine's Day

Hello,

last English lesson we talked about Valentine's Day and how much money we spend on presents. It is celebrated in many ways worldwide and falls on February 14 each year. Valentine's Day spending is expected to reach $18,6 billion this year. On average, Americans are expecred to spend $130,97 this holiday.

Many people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day by showing appreciation for the people they love or adore. Some people take their loved ones for a romantic dinner at a restaurant while others may choose this day to propose or get married. Many people give greeting cards, chocolates, jewelry or flowers, particularly roses, to their partners or admirers on Valentine’s Day.

Eight companies that love Valentnine's Day:

1. American Greetings Corp.
2. 1-800-Flowers.com Inc.
3. The Hershey Co.
4. Tiffany & Co.
5. Limited Brands Inc.
6. Church & Dwight Co. Inc.
7. IAC/InteractiveCorp
8. Bloomin' Brands Inc.

My Christmas Holidays

Hi guys!

In the last English lesson, we talked about Christmas and what we are going to do in the holidays. I tell you how I celebrated Christmas.

Around 5 pm. on Christmas Eve my family and I ate "Raclette" and after that we got presents. Everyone of us got only one present because we did a secret Santa. I got a pullover and some coupons for Plus City. That was how we celebrated Christmas Eve.

On the 25^th of December, we went to my grandmother. There we ate something, two hours later we got presents. I got some money, coupons and beauty things. The next day my best friend and I went to Plus City to do some shopping.

The following days my friends and I did something together and went on parties. On New Year and the following days, I was ill, so I couldn't do anything. That was annoying.

Yours Jasmin