General+articles

[|Who Is Nouriel Roubini?]
Is economist Nouriel Roubini a prophet or a perpetual pessimist who happened to get it right? In 2004, the New York University professor started to see disturbing trends he thought would lead to a crippling U.S. recession and a global slowdown. While other economists echoed his view at times, Roubini was the most consistent and bearish, even when his predictions failed to happen. So, most mainstream economists dismissed him simply as a perma-bear. Click **[|here]** to read the complete article at Bnet.com.

Dress for business
Whether you are at the start of your career or already a successful manager how you present yourself at work is of fundamental importance. On this page you'll find an informative video on how to dress for work and an article outlining the five rules for the business-casual workplace.

There will be blood
Hollywood is doing its best to ignore the internet. That is a big mistake. Read this article from [|The Economist] to find out more.

Slow death of a small German town
As jobs dry up, the population in the east is falling – and a mix of economics and biology will leave thousands of young men on the shelf

Starbucks: Not enough froth
The world’s biggest chain of coffee shops is in the midst of its first serious crisis. Last year Starbucks’ shares slumped by 42%, making it one of the worst performers on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Christmas
What do you like most about Christmas? What do you know about the history of this festival? On this page you'll find a video that gives a brief history of Christmas and an article in which the authzor suggests ways of making Christmas better.

The accidental innovator
An article about Evan Williams, the founder of [|Blogger] and [|Twitter], who, according to [|The Economist], epitomises Silicon Valley's right brain.

[|World affairs quiz]
Keeping abreast of world affairs is an important part of management. This is a link to the GuardianUnlimited Global News Quiz. Try it and test how up-to-date you are with world affairs.

10 Overrated Business Books (and What to Read Instead)
Like many professionals and business students, you probably have a stack of business books sitting somewhere near your desk – many of the so-called “classics” that every smart manager supposedly needs to read. Read this article from Bnet.com to find out what these business classics are and why you should perhaps be reading something else.

How to get your brain up to speed
Cold meat and chocolate will get your mind fit… and sex is handy too, according to a new book. Read this interesting article from [|The Observer] to find out more.

Consumer champion
This rather long but very interesting article from [|The Economist] examines attempts by China's leaders to foster their own technology titans, but argues that China's true national champion is its big market.

Speed networking for MBA students
Can a networking relationship be forged in six short minutes? Read how Columbia Executive MBAs put the theory to the test. And decide how you would respond to such an event.

Kicking ass in an unflat world
This article from [|The Economist] takes a look at recent publications and comments on what the latest crop of business books reveals about trends in management.

Facebook in Pinstripes
Social networking sites aren't just for students. When used in business, they can be effective tools for fostering the "weak ties" that help staff share information and get problems solved. Read this article from [|bnet.com] to see how.

Social graph-iti - Facebook
Is there less to [|Facebook] and other social networks than meets the eye? this article from [|The Economist] gives details of some of the features which make Facebook so popular and also looks at the [|social networking] site from a business perspective.

Bold moves on the road to ruin?
In this article the BBC correspondent Peter Day looks at the troubles facing the American car industry and the responses of the Big Three carmakers to their present predicament. You'll also find a link to an extremely interesting 30-minute podcast in which the car industry expert James Womack describes the rise and fall of the American car industry and explains what has led to Toyota becoming the world's number one producer of cars.


 * As you read/listen**
 * 1) make a note of any new or interesting vocabulary (e.g. words, fixed expressions, collocations, idioms)
 * 2) make a note of any ideas or information that are new to you or you find particularly interesting
 * 3) make a note of any thing you read or hear that you don't agree with or don't fully understand


 * After reading/listening**
 * 1) add any new vocabulary from to the glossary
 * 2) comment on the notes you made for 2 & 3 above using the discussion tab
 * 3) read and reply to any comments made in the discussion tab

Back to school for business schools
Here is an article from the BBC website which outlines the controversial views held by [|Professor Russell Ackoff] concerning the failures of Business Schools to prepare managers for today's demanding business environment.

Read the article and do the following:


 * As you read**
 * 1) make a note of any new or interesting vocabulary (e.g. words, fixed expressions, collocations, idioms)
 * 2) make a note of any ideas you agree with, disagree with or don't quite understand
 * 3) make a note of ideas in the article that correspond to your own experience


 * After reading**
 * 1) decide what you believe the main ideas in the article are
 * 2) discuss with your group the ideas you noted in step 2 above
 * 3) discuss whether you found this article interesting and useful or not (why/why not?)
 * 4) working together, prepare PLD cards for the vocabulary you identified in step 1 above
 * 5) be prepared to express your views to the class as a whole in doing so try using some of the new vocabulary

The End of Traffic Jams
Read the article and do the following:


 * As you read**
 * 1) make a note of any new or interesting vocabulary (e.g. words, fixed expressions, collocations, idioms)
 * 2) make a note of any ideas you find interesting, disagree with or don't quite understand
 * 3) make a note of ideas in the article that you feel strongest about


 * After reading**
 * 1) discuss with your group the ideas you noted in step 2 & 3 above
 * 2) discuss whether you found this article interesting and useful or not (why/why not?)
 * 3) working together, prepare PLD cards for the vocabulary you identified in step 1 above
 * 4) be prepared to express your views to the class as a whole in doing so try using some of the new vocabulary

Bye, bye good American spy: film review
Read the review and do the following:


 * As you read**
 * 1) make a note of any new or interesting vocabulary (e.g. words, fixed expressions, collocations, idioms)
 * 2) if you have seen this film or any other other films in the Bourne franchise make a note of any views you agree, disagree with or don't quite understand
 * 3) if you haven't seen this or any other of the Bourne films make a note of anything in the review that would persuade to see this film or persuade you not to see it.
 * 4) look back at the review and make a note of how it is constructed. What does the reviewer do first? What does he do next? How does he end the review?


 * After reading**
 * 1) discuss with your group the ideas you noted in step 2 & 3 above
 * 2) discuss whether you found this review interesting and useful or not (why/why not?)
 * 3) working together, prepare PLD cards for the vocabulary you identified in step 1 above
 * 4) be prepared to express your views to the class as a whole in doing so try using some of the new vocabulary
 * 5) be prepared to explain how the review is constructed.

A cultural introduction to US higher education
The text provides guidelines on acceptable behaviour, how to address academic staff and others, and maintaining lines of communication and offers advice on things to avoid. Read the text and make notes on the following:


 * As you read**
 * 1) make a note of any new or interesting vocabulary (e.g. words, fixed expressions, collocations, idioms)
 * 2) make a note of any advice or ideas you find useful, surprising, or don't quite understand
 * 3) make a note of one piece of advice that you think is essential, and one piece of advice you feel is unnecessary
 * 4) make a note of anything the text suggests that you would find difficult to do


 * After reading**
 * 1) discuss with your group the points you noted in steps 2, 3 & 4 above
 * 2) discuss whether you found this text useful (why/why not?)
 * 3) working together, prepare PLD cards for the vocabulary you identified in step 1 above
 * 4) be prepared to express your views to the class as a whole in doing so try using some of the vocabulary from the text

Going Under
Here you can download a worksheet based on a news article from the Guardian newspaper in the UK. The subject is the recent spate of floods that have affected many countries and the measures governments have taken or should take to counteract the effects of global warming. Exercises 1 - 7 provide a range of activities on reading comprehension, vocabulary and some useful writing skills work on cross referencing when writing. An answer key is provided and you can of course start a discussion using the tab at the top of the page.

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