Listening, learning and teaching activities for students learning business English
Business English
There are more vocabulary activities related to these podcasts on the 'business extras' page.
72 Fake Facebook. Should individuals or businesses continue to trust this popular website now? level 2 (26 Apr 18)
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Five ways to spot fake news:
71 A new design for pie! Jackie and Richard talk about giving the website a whole new look; level 2 (15 Mar 18)
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70 There's something wrong with the chips. Jackie and Richard talk about the importance of customer feedback; level 2 (1 Feb 18)
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69 The economics of Christmas. Just how important is the lead up to the holiday for the retail sector? level 2 (7 Dec 17)
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68 We are electric. Keep up to date with the latest on electric cars and how they're leading the way (2 Nov 17)
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The extra worksheet goes with video on the world's most popular electric car:
67 Death of diesel? The car industry is responding to car pollution, what is their solution? (21 Sep 17)
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"We are convinced that the future of Volvo is electric":
66 Pets at work. Nestle think you would be barking mad to leave your pet at home, bring it to work! level 2 (20 Jul 17)
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Do you think this is a good idea?:
65 Ransomware. We talk about the latest cybercrime to affect computers all around the world; level 2 (18 May 17)
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64 The rise of the machine 2. Part 2 wonders if we are all going to lose our jobs to automation; level 2/3 (6 Apr 17)
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63 The rise of the machine. The fourth industrial revolution sees the robot replacing humans; level 2/3 (26 Feb 17)
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The future of factory automation:
62 Career change. Listen to Johnny talk about the reasons he moved from one occupation to another; level 2/3 (19 Jan 17)
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61 Airbnb. It has changed the holiday scene, but is it also a victim of its own success? level 2/3 (1 Dec 16)
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Airbnb says "Don't Go There. Live There":
60 Hacked off! How a cyber-attack disrupted Internet service across Europe and the US; level 3 (27 Oct 16)
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Bonus for members! There is one sure way that you can stop this happening again.
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How an "internet of things" device can make your home smart:
59 The hashtag. Twitter is 10 years old this year, so some top tips for businesses; level 2 (1 Sep 16)
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EFL means different things to different people:
58 The line. Britain's Team Sky stand out both for their cycling and for their branding; level 2/3 (21 Jul 16)
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Antidote created the first real brand for an international road cycling team:
57 The supermarket man. Alan talks about his responsibilities as Technical Director for Tesco; level 2 (2 Jun 16)
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Bonus for members! He's also involved in some interesting projects re sourcing:
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It's not just food at Tesco, you know:
56 The Panama papers. While many benefit from offshore finances, there are also those who are victims; level 3 (27 Apr 16)
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The podcast goes with this video from the ICIJ:
55 Brexit. Britain in Europe: should we stay or should we go?; level 2 (3 Mar 16)
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The podcast goes with this video from Michael Hobbes:
54 Going down. We look at why the price of oil is tumbling and who is benefitting from this; level 2 (28 Jan 16)
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53 Selling nostalgia. The marketing secret behind some 'traditional' customs and products; level 3 (26 Nov 15)
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It's become 'traditional' to have KFC for Christmas in Japan:
52 The VW scandal. So it seems there's no such thing as clean diesel after all; level 3 (5 Nov 15)
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One of VWs 'clean diesel' adverts shown in the US:
51 Crowdfunding part 2. What a lot of money can be raised for small businesses! level 2/3 (24 Sep 15)
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50 The amalgamation. An employee's personal experience of three companies merging; level 2/3 (6 Aug 15)
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49 Consumer choice. Buyers today can choose between many varieties when buying a product, but how good is that really? level 3 (21 May 15)
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How your brain deals with choices:
48 Import and export part 2. What is the point of countries importing and exporting the very same product? level 2/3 (9 Apr 15)
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47 Crowdfunding part 1. We look at a growing industry in the business world and ask what it is and how it works, level 2/3 (25 Feb 15)
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Crowdfunding, a new way to raise capital for your business:
46 Import and export part 1. Who dictates what food we import: consumers, farmers or retailers? level 2/3 (15 Jan 15)
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45 Black Friday UK. From over there to over here, how successful was the American sales day in the UK? level 2 (4 Dec 14)
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44 Mood music. In-store marketing says it can turn browsers into buyers, but does it work? level 2 (6 Nov 14)
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Marks and Spencer is one UK high street retailer that has turned to in-store marketing:
43 It's a bargain! Or is it? Supermarkets have lots of special offers, but are they always better value? level 2 (2 Oct 14)
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42 The bitcoin Baffled by bitcoins? Confused by the cyber-currency? You're not alone!; level 3 (28 Aug 14)
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This podcast comes from this video from The Guardian:
41 How can I help? What a difference good customer service makes - if you can find it! level 2 (23 Jul 14)
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40 Taxi! How a modern technology angers taxi drivers and brings cities to a standstill; level 2 (19 Jun 14)
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The traditional taxi business faces competition in a high-tech world:
39 FIFA scores. For many football is a passion, for FIFA it's purely a financial affair; level 2 (15 May 14)
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Where is the excitement that met the 2007 decision to award Brazil the World Cup tournament?
38 Techno kitchen. High-tech products have revolutionised the way we cook; level 2 (24 Apr 14)
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The halogen oven:
37 Modern innovations: sugru A very small thing is going to make a very big difference to many people's lives! level 2/3 (20 Mar 14)
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Watch Jane introducing sugru:
36 The café conundrum Come and have a cup of coffee with the pie team in a new style of café; level 2 (13 Feb 14)
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35 Booking.com part 2 What are the advantages for travellers choosing this online travel agency to book their holidays? level 2 (16 Jan 14)
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34 Power to the people. Since the Mandela era boycotts have been a powerful tool; level 2/3 (12 Dec 13)
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Nestlé gave in to pressure from Greenpeace about its palm oil supply chain after 1.5 million people saw this anti-advert for Kit Kat:
33 All of a twitter. Not just for fun and socialising, Twitter is great for business too; level 2/3 (7 Nov 13)
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More top tips for businesses here:
32 Social media at work. How one manager deals with his staff using Twitter and Facebook; level 2 (12 Sep 13)
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31 Booking.com part 1. Just how useful is the online website for hotel owners? level 3 (1 Aug 13)
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30 The G8. What's the point of some powerful world leaders getting together for a few days? level 2/3 (20 Jun 13)
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The transcript to this scene, and a listening task, can be found on the extras page.
29 Designing a website. The pie team give 5 top tips for designing a successful website; level 2/3 (9 May 13)
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28 The perfect office, part 2. Drawing on her experience, Jo tells us what works best for her; level 3 (11 Apr 13)
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What are the key elements to a comfortable work station?
27 The perfect office, part 1. Your working space affects your work, so what makes a good office?; level 2 (14 Mar 13)
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26 Horseburger, anyone? There's a nasty surprise for some as they tuck into their beef burgers; level 2/3 (14 Feb 13)
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What are we eating? asks Channel 4 news:
25 The disappearing high street The way we shop now could see the face of our town centres changing forever; level 3 (24 Jan 13)
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24 Profits? What profits? Starbucks' coffee is leaving a bitter taste but it's got nothing to do with the drink; level 2 (15 Nov 12)
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Listen to the same story from the BBC news:
23 The cycling commuter. People should drive or take public transport to work rather than cycle, shouldn't they? level 2 (25 Oct 12)
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22 Buyer beware. How can Poundland increase its profits by 50% when everything it sells costs £1? level 2/3 (20 Sep 12)
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Back in 2010 Poundland made the news when profits rose by 80%:
21 Sunday trading. The UK doesn't have a 24/7 shopping culture... yet; level 2 (23 Aug 12)
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The Chancellor and Shadow Chancellor have differing views on changing Sunday trading laws:
20 The Shard. Will Europe's tallest building be a financial failure or an investment success? level 2 (12 Jul 12)
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► Information sheet (pdf 7.3MB)
Listen to what people think of London's latest landmark:
■ Stop video19 What money can't buy. Is it acceptable that there's a market for almost anything, or should some things not be for sale? level 3 (14 Jun 12)
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This podcast is highlights from this interview from The Stream:
18 The accountant. Vaughan talks about being a fund accountant for BNP Paribas; level 1 / 2 (10 May 12)
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17 Nike station. Big company sponsorship deals are usually welcomed, but not always... level 2 (29 Mar 12)
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One sponsor that's trying to make golf and tennis a better experience for their fans:
16 Starting a business Part 2: Why is starting a new business easier in the US? level 1 (23 Feb 12)
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15 Starting a business Part 1: Why not start your own business, even if there is a recession... level 2 (2 Feb 12)
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14 Ms marketing Helen, from Jersey Heritage, talks about the importance of target audience; level 3 (24 Nov 11)
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13 False claims Not all companies get away with exaggerating what their products can do; level 3 (6 Oct 11)
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So hands up who believes this product works as well as this:
12 Customer service What has a smiling dinosaur got to do with providing good service? level 2 (15 Sep 11)
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Is this the kind of customer service you want from your bank?!
11 Welcome to Wales - where the business world meets; level 1 (24 Aug 11)
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10 The Greek Crisis How are the beautiful Greek islands coping with the economic crisis? level 2 (7 Jul 11)
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9 Running a small business Simon, from English for Business, talks about some of the challenges he faces; level 2 (2 Jun 11)
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8 What next? What lies ahead now that Osama bin Laden is dead? level 3 (4 May 11)
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7 Negotiating skills What's the best way to get what you want from management? level 3 (7 Apr 11)
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6 The Cornish Pasty EU regulations gone mad, or sensible protection? level 3 (17 Mar 11)
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5 To google or not to google What's the problem with a brand becoming a verb? level 2 (27 Jan 11)
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4 Corporate responsibility A political adviser for BP gives his view; level 3 (9 Dec 10)
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3 Dress code It's not just what you do, it's what you wear; level 3 (11 Nov 10)
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2 News bulletin Business people should be aware of global events making the headlines; level 3 (14 Oct 10)
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1 What makes a good boss? A senior manager for Mace, an international company, gives his view; level 2 (16 Sep 10)
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► Webquest (pdf 102KB)
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