Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for business English teachers explores the nuanced concept of stakeholder capitalism. Tailored for advanced (C1) students, this ESL material enables discussions on corporate responsibility, economics, and contrasting business philosophies.
Based on a clear instructional video, the lesson covers essential business vocabulary and focuses on developing formal language skills, including the grammar of nominalization. Students will engage in critical thinking and debate through activities culminating in a boardroom role-play, making it an ideal resource for mastering complex business English.
Activities
- Students start by discussing the primary purpose of a company and its responsibilities, activating their prior knowledge on the topic of corporate ethics and goals.
- Learners match key vocabulary from the video and lesson material, such as shareholder, stakeholder, and procurement, with their definitions to ensure comprehension.
- Students watch a short video explaining the concepts of shareholder and stakeholder capitalism and answer comprehension questions to check their understanding of the main arguments presented.
- A gap-fill exercise helps students practice useful phrases and idiomatic expressions relevant to business discussions, such as 'walk the talk' and 'a spillover from'.
- The lesson includes a grammar section focused on nominalization, a key feature of formal business English. Students practice converting verbs and adjectives into nouns to create more concise and abstract sentences.
- The lesson culminates in a group role-play where students act as a company's board of directors. They must debate different proposals for using company profits, justifying their decisions based on stakeholder theory and practicing their acquired language skills.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary focuses on key business and economic terms such as shareholder, stakeholder, procurement, bailout, subsidy, and foster. Students will also learn useful idiomatic phrases including 'walk the talk', 'too little, too late', and 'a spillover from' to facilitate more natural and sophisticated business discussions.
Grammar focus
The grammar section focuses on nominalization, which is the process of converting verbs or adjectives into nouns (e.g., 'creation', 'regulation', 'decision'). This grammatical tool is essential for formal and business English, enabling students to write and speak in a more abstract, concise, and academic style. The lesson includes an exercise to practice this transformation, reinforcing understanding and application.
