Sách Market Leader Pre-intermediate – Unit 5: Stress – Tiếng anh thương mại – Học Hay (Phần 2)

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Market Leader Pre-intermediate – Unit 5: Stress - Skills

 

A. You are going to hear three members of the human resources department of a transportation company discussing ways of improving the staff's health and fitness. What ways do you think they will mention? Listen to the conversation and check your answers.

 

Đáp án:

They mention: paying a gym subscription, hiring more staff, stopping weekend work, introducing flexitime, allowing employees to work from home, setting up a counselling service, changing staff duties and roles.

 

B. The speakers use several expressions to make suggestions. Listen to the conversation again and complete the gaps in these sentences.

1. Well, I think ........................ carry out a survey, find out why the staff are so stressed ...

2. I have another idea ......................... we encourage staff to keep fit? ............

............ paying their subscription to a gym?

3. We ........................ more staff for them, give them an assistant.

4. Well, it might be a ........................ to set up a counselling service ...

5. ............. meet tomorrow, same time, and try to come up with a plan ...

 

Đáp án:

1. we should

2. Why don't; How about

3. could hire

4. good idea

5. Let's

 

C. At the next meeting, the team discusses plans for staff to attend a local sports centre. Listen and tick the expressions they use in their conversation. Then write 'A' if the expression shows agreement or 'D' if it shows disagreement.

1. Mm, I don't know.

2. It would be popular, but it could be expensive.

3. I think I agree with you.

4. OK, but we can solve it. The sports centre has great facilities ...

5. Exactly. It would really help staff to be more healthy ...

6. I'm not in agreement, Danielle. It isn't a great idea.

7. I still think it's a good idea. It's well worth trying.

 

Đáp án:

1. D

2. D

3. A

4. A

5. D

A. Read the first two paragraphs of this article then rank these countries according to those where you think business leaders feel the most stress (1 = most stress, 9 = least stress).

• Australia • China • Denmark • Finland • Greece • Mexico • Sweden • Turkey • Vietnam

 

Over half of business owners feeling increasingly stressed

More than half the leaders of privately held businesses globally feel their stress levels have increased over the last year. The research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) 2010 covers the opinions of over 7,400 business owners across 36 economies. Mainland China tops the league for the most stressed leaders. with 76% of business owners saying their stress levels have increased over the last year.

Other economics that was high in the stress league table were Mexico (74%), Turkey (72%), Vietnam (72%) and Greece (68%). At the opposite end of the scale, business owners in Sweden (23%), Denmark (25%), Finland (33%) and Australia (35%) have the lowest stress levels in the world.

There appears to be a link between stress levels and GDP. Business owners in mainland China, Vietnam, Mexico, India and Turkey are all high on the stress league table and are working in environments where high growth is expected. But it's not just in countries expecting high growth that stress levels are high - at the opposite end of the growth scale, Ireland, Spain and Greece are all high on the league table. Said Alex MacBeath, Global Leader - Markets at Grant Thornton International, "We have businesses at both ends of the GOP growth scale experiencing high stress for a very different reason. In mainland China, the pressure is on to keep up with the 40 speed of expansion, while in Ireland, for example, the economy is shrinking, and business owners are worried about how they will keep their business alive.''

Business owners were asked about the major causes of workplace stress. Not surprisingly, the most common cause during 2009 was the economic climate, with 38% of respondents so globally saying this was one of their major causes of stress. This was followed by pressure on cash flow (26%), competitor activities (21%) and heavy workload (19%). Alex MacBeath comments, "The causes of workplace stress can be put into three distinct group - economic, business and personal. An employee may place more importance on personal elements such as their work-life balance. The business owner has additional pressures to consider."

The survey also found a link between stress levels and the number of clays taken off by an individual in a year. Countries at the top of the stress league are those where business owners, on average, take fewer holidays each year.

 

Đáp án:

1. China

2. Mexico

3. Turkey

4. Vietnam

5. Greece

6. Australia

7. Finland

8. Denmark

9. Sweden

 

B. Read the whole article and answer these questions.

1. What is the difference between these groups of countries in terms of reasons for high-level stress?

a) China, Vietnam, Mexico, India and Turkey

b) Ireland, Spain and Greece

2. According to Alex MacBeath, how do business leaders experience stress differently in China and Ireland?

3. What are the four major causes of workplace stress?

4. According to Alex MacBeath, what three types of pressure are there?

 

Đáp án:

1. Group a) are all countries where high growth is expected; Group b) are countries where the economy is shrinking.

2. In China, the pressure is on to keep up with the speed of expansion, while in Ireland, the economy is shrinking, and business owners

are worried about how they will keep their business alive.

3. The economic climate, pressure on cashflow, competitor activities and heavy workload

4. Economic, business and personal.

 

C. Look at this list of countries.

Vietnam, Sweden, Denmark, Mexico, China, Finland

In which countries do business owners take:

1. fewer holidays?

2. more holidays?

(You will need information from paragraphs 1, 2 and 5.)

 

Đáp án:

1. China, Mexico, Vietnam

2. Sweden, Denmark, Finland