News Mash-up: Business Troubles

Category: Business

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. scrutiny / ˈskrut n i / (n.) – a careful and detailed examination or observation of something
    Example:

    The department is under scrutiny because it failed to submit its budget report on time.


  2. divisive / dɪˈvaɪ sɪv / (adj.) – causing disagreements or arguments between people
    Example:

    The new company policy is divisive. Some of the employees like it, while others hate it.


  3. whistleblower / ˈʰwɪs əlˌbloʊ ər / (n.) – a person who reveals important information, such as an illegal activity, to the police, reporters, etc.
    Example:

    The whistleblower revealed that some politicians are stealing government funds.


  4. put (something) before (something else) / pʊt bɪˈfɔr / (idiom) – to give more importance to something than another thing
    Example:

    The company always puts quality before quantity, so it releases only a limited number of products.


  5. unquestionably / ʌnˈkwɛs tʃə nə bli / (adv.) – in a way that’s sure or obvious
    Example:

    Anna unquestionably loved Rob’s surprise. She couldn’t stop telling her friends about it!


Article

Read the text below.

Dubai expo defends worker accident rate


Expo 2020 Dubai, a major world fair that opened Oct. 1, said on Oct. 3 three workers had died and 72 had been seriously hurt during six years of construction, defending its accident rate as less than half that of building work in Britain.


Mega projects in the Gulf region, such as the expo and Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 soccer World Cup, have faced international scrutiny, with rights groups criticizing conditions for low-paid migrant workers.


Dubai, the region’s tourism, trade and business hub, is hoping to boost its economy by attracting 25 million visitors to the world fair. (Reuters)


Facebook will fuel further unrest: whistleblower


Facebook Inc. will fuel more violent unrest around the world unless it stops its algorithms from pushing extreme and divisive content, whistleblower Frances Haugen told Britain’s Parliament on Oct. 25.


The former employee, who accused the social media giant of putting profit before people at a U.S. Senate subcommittee earlier in the month, said she was encouraged by British plans to force big tech companies to tackle harmful content on their platforms.


Unquestionably, it’s making hate worse,” she said. (Reuters)


These articles were provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Expo 2020 Dubai defended its accident rate, saying that it was less than half that of building work in Britain. Do you think this explanation is acceptable? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Mega projects in the Gulf region have faced international scrutiny, with rights groups criticizing their conditions for low-paid migrant workers. What do you think are the proper working conditions and benefits for construction workers (ex. insurance, high salary)? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Frances Haugen told the British Parliament that Facebook’s algorithm is pushing for more harmful and violent content that will cause unrest around the world. What do you think the British Parliament should do next (ex. investigate Facebook, ban Facebook)? Why? Discuss.
  • Facebook is accused of allowing harmful and divisive content on its platform. What kind of content would you consider harmful or divisive (ex. violent videos, fake news)? If this accusation was proven, what do you think should be done to Facebook? Why? Discuss.