English for business studies II (B2)

APPENDIX 2. Worksheets

141



Names: ...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 1.1 - Useful expressions.

a) Write a complete sentence expressing your purpose for writing the e-mail in the
following formal situations. Remember the most frequent way to express your
purpose is : I am writing…

 You want to do a summer internship and you saw one advertised in El Pais (February 15,
201_) at Procter & Gamble. You want to apply for it.

I am writing…

 You have the flu and you have your final oral exam tomorrow. What would you write to your
teacher?

I am writing…

 You are helping a professor who is organising a conference at the university. You want one of
the participants to remember to send you a copy of the paper he is going to present. You need
it by Friday at the latest.

I am writing…

 You are a student. You want to work in order to earn some money and want to find out if it is
possible to get a part-time job at the university.

I am writing…

b) Sometimes you need to use more specific expressions to send supplementary
information, express good/bad news, to apologize and so on. Use the expressions
in the box below in the following situations.

APOLOGY/APOLGISE ENCLOSED REGRET

ATTACHED GRATEFUL REQUEST(ED)

PLEASED

DO NOT BEGIN WITH “I am writing……”

 You will be going on an exchange at the University of Chicago next September. Over the past
two months the international coordinator at the University has written you a number of emails
to find out what courses you want to take next year. You have not answered. She has just
written to you about the same thing again! You finally decide to reply.

First of all, I would

(continues on the back)

143

 (LETTER) Indicate to a customer that along with your letter there is a brochure with
information about your company’s products that he asked for.

 (EMAIL) Indicate that you are sending a PDF map with directions on how to get to your
company.

 You want to live off-campus next year. Politely write to somebody asking them to send you a
list of off-campus housing addresses.

I would
 A summer course your university offers has been cancelled. Write to a student who signed up

and politely tell him the bad news.
We

 You work in Human Resources and have to write a letter to a candidate that has just been
selected for a post as marketing assistant. Write to the candidate on behalf of your company
telling her the good news.
We

144

Names: ...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 1.2 – E-mails at work

Look at Wendy’s diary below. She has asked you to send an email to each of those people. Write
four short emails using the notes below. Be sure to include a reason for writing and an action point.

145

146

Names: ...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 1.3 - Punctuation practice

Read the text below and add any punctuation marks that you think are necessary. In addition
CAPITALISE any words that need to be capitalized.

Dd e a r s i r m a d a m

my name is ruth evans and I am writing to apply for the
sales position you advertised on JOB MONSTER.com
as you can see from my cv i have nine years experience in
corporate sales and account management currently i am
working at Keeler where i have been the top rated seller
for three consecutive years moreover in my previous
position at thompson’s I was named salesperson of the year
twice.
clients describe me as dependable honest and resourceful
in addition i have a strong work ethic and good
interpersonal skills all of which have contributed to my
success in sales however you do not have to take my word
for it i would be happy to provide personal and
professional references upon request in addition you are
welcome to contact my previous employer to enquire about
my work performance
i look forward to the opportunity of speaking with you
personally about my qualifications in the near future.
sincerely
ruth evans

147

COVER LETTER - Do’s and Don’ts

Discuss and classify the recommendations about how to write a cover letter below under DO ( )
or DON’T () . Based on http://coverlettersandresume.com/tips/cover-letter-writing-tips/

1. a) Adapt and customize each letter to the position you are applying for and the Company
you are applying to.

2. b) Exceed more than one page in length.
3. c) Have a typo of any kind!
4. d) Talk about both your strengths and your weaknesses.
5. e) Include photos, age, height, weight, marital status, race, religion, and if possible, the

results of your last physical check-up.
6. f) Have at least 2 other people proof read a hard copy version of it - spell check won’t find

everything.
7. g) Be concise.
8. h) Give examples of why you would be a good choice for the organization you are applying to.
9. i) Address specific skills experience or education that the organization is seeking.
10. j) Say what the company can do for you.
11. k) Worry if you misspell the name of the human resources manager, organization or person

you are writing to.
12. l) Mention any work you have done, whether it was paid or volunteer work.
13. m) Proofread carefully for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.
14. n) Repeat information or write exactly what is already on your résumé.
15. o) Start all your sentences with “I”.
16. p) Indicate the position you are applying for.
17. q) Copy résumés directly from the Internet.
18. r) Vary the first word of your sentences instead of starting all your sentences with “I”.
19. s) Include adjectives to describe you and what makes you a good candidate.
20. t) Send the cover letter as an attachment together with your CV in Word format.

The Cover letter: Format and Content

A typical cover letter consists of three or four paragraphs. Indicate in which paragraph on the next page you
would include the information below.

a) Demonstrate your knowledge of the company by including a reference to the organization. By
acknowledging their mission/reputation/ accomplishments, you form a positive connection from
the start.

b) Describe how you meet the employer’s requirements by providing evidence of your related skills
and experiences

c) Identify the position you are applying for or purpose of letter
d) If appropriate, indicate when you will be available and/or the best way to contact you
e) Indicate what you would like to happen next (request an interview or indicate that you will follow

up in some way during a specific time).
f) Mention your education, relevant courses and skills as well as experience.
g) Mention any attached documents and reinforce qualifications presented in your resume
h) State where you saw the job advertised
i) Thank the employer for the time and consideration given to your application

148

Names: ...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 1.4 The Cover Letter

An essential skill when writing is the ability to revise what you write and improve on it. Never
send out an email or hand in a piece of work without revising and proofreading it first.
1. Refer to the previous page and indicate in which paragraph you would include that information in the list
on the previous page. You can also read the sample letter from Unit 1 Video 4b.
Your Address
City
Today’s Date
Company Name
Company Address
City
Dear (insert the correct contact person’s name here)

First paragraph should:

Second (and third paragraph) should:

Last paragraph should:

Sincerely,

Anita Job

Anita Job (typed)

149

1. Read the email below from a student applying for a summer internship. Which rules for
writing efficient emails does he break? Indicate it with the corresponding letter on p. 19.

2. Replace the underlined parts with an appropriate or polite expression.
3. The words in gray are spelling or grammatical errors. Correct them.
4. Discuss with a partner what is wrong with the parts underlined with a …..

What information is appropriate to include in the email and what information is not.
Is there any information missing that should be included?

How could the email be improved? Rewrite it, reorganising the information in a more
logical way, according to the paragraphs we saw on the previous page and omitting any
unnecessary, repetitive or inappropriate information.

To: Amanda Lewis, Human Resources Manager
From: [email protected]
Subject: Hello

2 I'm Patxi from Bilbao. 3 I want you to tell me about your summer internships. I study at
the Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea since three years, do you know it? At the job fair at my
university they told me your company takes students who wants to get work experience
during the summer holidays and 4I want to apply for the summer internship because I 5
want to get some experience working in a big multinational company and I want to
practise my english too and make it better because I think it is VERY BAD. Sorry about
that!!! I want to know more about the program, so 6 I want that you send me some more
information, in particular the dates, details of the daily work, how much do you pay, where
can I stay, etc. I am studying marketing so give me a job in the marketing department if it
is possible. BTW, I'm a 19 year-old bussines student living in Spain. Sorry, I forget to tell

you that .

7 Thanks a lot. I hope you answer me asap.
8Bye for now.
Patxi
Student

.

150

Names: ...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 2.1- Describing a graph

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth

Describe the fluctuations in the annual growth rate of the world population.

The graph shows ..............................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
From 1760 to 1800 .....................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
Between 1800 and 1900, ..........................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
From 1900 to 1920 ....................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
Over the following fifty years,....................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
In 1970, .............................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
In 2100, although...........................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................

What factors caused or will cause these changes in population growth?

Moodle Video 2.2 Gap minder –How reliable is the world population
forecast?

151



Worksheet 2.2- Hans Rosling's 200 Countries,
200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC
Four

Video 2.3 (Moodle)

Presentation by Hans Rosling http://www.flixxy.com/200-countries-200-years-4-minutes.htm

The vertical axis shows__________________ while the horizontal axis shows _________

Label each axis with the values shown and fill in boxes. Size of country bubble =

_____________________

Rich and _____ Europe –yellow

Asia-________________

Poor and _____ Middle East- __________
Africa-_______________
Americas- ____________

1810
 All countries were ___________________________________________________________.
 Life expectancy was_______________________ in most countries.
 The UK and the ___________ were _____________ better off.

1800’s
 Industrial revolution made countries in Europe and elsewhere ____________________the rest.
 Colonized countries in _____________and __________________ were _________________.
 Western countries get _______________ and ________________________________ .

1917-1920-Impact of the WWI and the Spanish flu epidemic was a ______________.

1920’s and 1930’s
 In spite of the Great Depression, Western countries __________________________
 Japan and others tried to _________________________________________________
 Most countries _________________________________________________________

1948 -After the tragedies of WWII
 Difference between countries of the world was __________________than ever.
 US was _______________________________________________________ .
 Japan was ____________________________________.
 Brazil was way (= considerably) __________________________________________.
 Iran was getting richer from _________________________________
 Asian giants (China, India, Pakistan , Bangladesh and Indonesia were still _________

______________________________________________________________.
In his lifetime 1948- Present
 Former colonies _________________________ and started to get _______________.

1970’s
 Countries in Asia and Latin American started to ______________________and became the

_______________________________________________________________.
 Some in Africa ________________and others in Africa __________________and others were

hit by ___________.



153

Today (2009)
 Most people live in the ______________ .
 Huge _____________between the _________of countries and the ______ of countries.
 There are also huge differences ____________ countries.
 Example: CHINA: Shanghai is like ______________ . Guizhou is like ________________.

Rural parts are like __________ in _____________.
Future trends __________________________________________________________________

154

Worksheet 3.1a. The two
key financial statements
-Statement A (Topic 4)

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/tutorials/statements/

As you listen to your classmate’s explanation,
complete the financial statement below and take
notes on what the speaker(s) tell(s) you here or
on the back of this sheet.

turnover-money generated by the company by selling its products or
services to customers. Only includes income from company’s main
operations. SynonymSales

155

Turnover=Sales

Worksheet 3.1b. The two key
financial statements
Statement B (Topic 7)

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/tutorials/statements/

As you listen to your classmate’s explanation,
complete the financial statement below and take
notes on what the speaker(s) tell(s) you here or on
the back of this sheet.

156



Names:...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 3.2- Show me the money. Follow –up
exercises

a. Complete the statements below logically based on the information provided in the text
“Show me the money”. The number in [ ] indicates which section of the reading it is based
on. Make sure that you write a COMPLETE sentence.

1. Items used to operate the business such [1].........................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................

2. Trademarks and patents are referred to as ..........................................................................
because [1]..........................................................................................................................

3. A company can earn money not only from its own business activities but also by [2] .......
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................

4. The total net income divided by the number of outstanding shares tells a shareholder how [2]
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................

5. COGS, which stands for “Cost of goods sold”, refers to the expenses associated [2] ........
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................

b. Here are some answers. Write a logical question based on the information in the text.

1. ...............................................................................................................................................................
It refers to the shares, or the total amount of capital that the owners have invested in the company.
[1]

2. ...............................................................................................................................................................
Payroll owed to a company’s employees. [1]

3. ...............................................................................................................................................................
They usually appear on the right side of the balance sheet above shareholders’ equity. [1]

4. ...............................................................................................................................................................
It has to pay interest expense. [2]

5. ...............................................................................................................................................................
The bottom line. [2]

157



Names:...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 4.1 - Letter from the Chairman.
Comprehension questions

Use the letter and the financial figures in the first three pages of Unit 4 to answer the questions
below. Write your answers in 1 or 2 COMPLETE SENTENCES as indicated in [ ].
Write the answers IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
1. What is the name of the company and what does the company make and sell? Where is it based?

[1]

2. What yearly corporate publication would contain a letter from the chairman , a financial report
as well as financial data such as a balance sheet or an income statement? [1]

3. Name the factors that negatively affected Whitehall’s overseas sales results. [1]

4. What country is Whitehall’s main customer? In which overseas markets did sales rise the most?
[1]

5. What happened to sales in the U.S? Why? Explain the effects this type of economic situation
can have on a country. [2]

6. What information in the annual report would be of special interest to shareholders? [1]

7. List three reasons that the chairman gave for the improvement in the company’s performance
with respect to the previous year. [1]

159

8. What factors are going to help the company continue to succeed in the future? [1]

9. What do the productivity figures for the past five years tell you? How do you think Whitehall
was able to achieve this? [2]

10. Complete the SWOT Analysis table provided below inserting each point in the appropriate

quadrant.

1,

LIST OF POINTS FOR WHITEHALL SWOT ANALYSIS

1. long established in the industry
2. company’s growing international presence
3. competition from Eastern Europe
4. efficient production processes
5. factories working to full capacity
6. fine china market is limited to people with high purchasing power
7. fluctuations in the exchange rates
8. growing demand both on the domestic market and abroad
9. introduction of new designs and product ranges
10. lower energy costs thanks to company’s investment in energy-saving equipment
11. loyal, motivated and skilled workers
12. stagnant economy in the U.S.
13. strong pound
14. the combination of tradition with technology of its products
15. U.S. accounts for 40% of its sales

160

Names ................................................................................................................................

Worksheet 4.2 - Describing changes

1. Complete the sentences below.

1. Vaccine sales increased by 23% in 2021.

a) Vaccine sales . (use UP) went up (by) 23%/were up (by)23%
on/from the previous year .
b) Vaccine sales …..(use comparative adjective) were 23% higher than in the
previous year./last year’s./than those of the year before.
c) There was …..(use noun) a 23% increase in vaccine sales./ an
increase of 23% in ... sales .

2. There was a 14% decline in international sales in 2021.

a) International sales (use verb) – declined by 14%. .
b) International sales …..(use DOWN) went down by 14% /were 14%
down in 2010./were down 14% /went down (by)14%
on=compared with 2009 .
c) International sales were….(use comparative adjective) - 14% lower than in
2009 /14% lower than the previous year’s .
d) Intl sales in 2021 were not …(use negative comparative) as high as in the
previous year/as the previous year’s./as in 2009/those of the
previous year .

3. Sales of vaccines doubled in 2015.

a) Sales of vaccines in 2021… (TWICE) were twice as high as in
2009/those of 2009/2009´s
b) Sales of vaccines in 2020 …..… (50%). were 50% lower than in 2015.
c) Sales of vaccines in 2020 were..… (HALF). half as high as in 2015

Now do Exercise 2 on the back of this page.

161

2. Make sentences based on the figures in the chart below, using the
words / expressions provided. Underline them.

Comparing figures

Turnover 2021 2020 2019
Profits
€12,000,000 €4,000,000 €6,000,000
€2,000,000 €750,000 €1,400,000

1. there/€2m /2019 /2020

2. were/ 46%/2020

3. tripled /previous

4. (was/were) not / 2020 / 2019

5. three times /2021 /2020

6. not / earn / much

7. (Choose one of the years above. Invent three logical EXAMPLES/REASONS to ilustrate or

show why it was a good/bad year for Tulip and write sentences using the structures below.)
______ [year] was a (GOOD / BAD ) year for Tulip given that both its turnover
and profits were (UP / DOWN). This was due to a number of reasons.
Not only ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
but __________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
In addition, ____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

162

Names:...............................................................................................................................

Worksheet 4.3 Linking ideas – Error analysis

a. Below the the information provided about Nestlé, you will find some sentences written by
students with errors. Work in groups and try to correct the sentences.

Financial Highlights for 2020 FACTS

Revenue 2019 2020 % change  Economic crisis in Europe 
Profit €17.9bn €19.5bn 14/15 Nestle’s sales in Europe  20%
Dividend €1.68 bn €1.60bn + 8% laid off 2500 workers in
Fixed - 5% Europe
assets €0.25 €0.50
€1.14bn €1.01bn + 100%  Nestle closed two factories in
-12% the USA + restructured its
North American operations 
costs 10%

 price of milk €0.10/litre 
reduced profit margin

GRAMMAR
The highlighted part of the sentence below is incorrect. Correct the sentence.

The economic crisis made a decrease in sales.

made sales decrease / led to-resulted in-brought about a decrease in sales

1. As well as dismissed 2500 workers in Europe, Nestle closed two factories.

2. Despite of revenues went up, Nestle’s profits in 2020 did not rise.

3. In 2020, profit amounted to €1.6bn, it represented a decrease of a 5% from the previous year.

4. Despite Nestlé’s profits decreased by 5%, the company paid out a dividend.

5. The European economic crisis made a 5% drop in profits.

6. By closing two factories, Nestle was enabled to reduce its costs.
7. The increase in the price of milk made Nestlé’s profit margins reduce.

8. Dividends were twice higher in 2020 than in 2019.

9. It is very dependent on the US market, what could suppose a serious problem in the future.
10. Nestlé’s dividends were higher in 2020 as well as its revenues.

163

LOGIC / ORDER OF IDEAS
Rewrite the sentences below so that they make sense.
EXAMPLE: Thanks to the 20% decrease in its sales in Europe, Nestle had to lay off 2500 workers.
Owing/Due
11. Costs went down by restructuring its North American operations.

12. The increase in the price of milk made Nestle lower its profit margins.

13. Nestle closed two factories which enabled fixed assets to drop by 12%.

14. Not only did Nestle close two factories, but it also reduced its costs by 10%.

15. The closing of two factories caused revenues to go up.

16. In 2015 Nestlé’s shareholders received a higher dividend whereas fixed assets went down.

17. Despite the economic crisis in Europe, not only did Nestlé’s profits decrease in 2015, but its
fixed assets decreased that year.

18. Not only the company reduced its profit, but it also decreased its profit margin.

19. The loss of its patents will be compensated by launching six new products next year.

20. Raw material costs were higher, which made the company increase its expenses.

b. Complete the sentences below using apposition to provide explanatory information.
You cannot use the words BIG , IMPORTANT or COMPANY in your answer
1) Apple, ________________________________________________________________ ,

launched the iPad mini, ____________________________________________.
2) Amancio Ortega, ___________________________________________________________ ,

founded Inditex, _________________________________________________________.
3) Angela Merkel, __________________________________________________________ , was

invited to attend the recent G8 summit in Budapest, ____________________________.
4) Pringles Snack Foods, formerly a(n) _____________________________________________ ,

was acquired by Kellogg Company, ______________________________________, in 2012.
5) ICADE, __________________________________________________ , was established in

Madrid in 1956 by the Jesuits, ______________________________________________.
164