News Mash-up: Business Troubles

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Category: Business

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Unlocking Word Meanings

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

  1. embattled / ɛmˈbæt ld / (adj.) – experiencing a lot of problems or difficulties
    Example:

    The embattled company had to let go of over a hundred employees.


  2. for short / fɔr ʃɔrt / (idiom) – used to say that something is a shorter form or nickname
    Example:

    Amazon Alexa, or Alexa for short, is used by a lot of people all over the world.


  3. remark / rɪˈmɑrk / (n.) – something that someone says or writes to express an opinion, fact, or idea
    Example:

    The congressman was criticized by a lot of people because of his rude remarks.


  4. backtrack / ˈbækˌtræk / (v.) – to completely change or take back an earlier statement, promise, opinion, etc., usually because of pressure from someone or something
    Example:

    The senator backtracked from his statement about healthcare workers after being criticized on social media.


  5. predominantly / prɪˈdɒmɪnəntlɪ / (adv.) – mostly or mainly
    Example:

    He works in a predominantly female industry.


Article

Read the text below.

Amid a crisis, Facebook renames itself


An embattled Facebook Inc. is now called Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, to reflect what CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Oct. 28 is its commitment to developing the new surround-yourself technology known as the “metaverse.” The social network itself will still be called Facebook.


Skeptics immediately accused the company of trying to change the subject from the Facebook Papers, the trove of leaked documents that has plunged the social media giant into its biggest crisis since it began life as FaceMash in 2003. (AP)


AirCanada CEO pledges to ‘improve my French’


Air Canada chief executive officer Michael Rousseau on Nov. 4 apologized for remarks suggesting he did not need to speak French, Canada’s second language, even though the airline is officially bilingual.


“I apologize to those who were offended by my remarks,” Rousseau said in a statement. “I pledge today to improve my French.”


Rousseau was backtracking from remarks to reporters in Montreal on Nov. 3 that triggered widespread criticism in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, where the airline is headquartered. (Reuters)


 These articles were provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Skeptics accused Facebook of changing its name to try to turn attention away from Facebook Papers, the trove of leaked documents that plunged it into its biggest crisis. Do you agree with what the critics are saying? How should the company respond to these accusations (ex. ignore them, address the Facebook Papers issue)? Discuss.
  • After being known as Facebook for so long, the company decided to change its name to Meta. Do you think this change will be good for the company’s brand? Why or why not? How do you think the new name will affect users? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • AirCanada’s CEO apologized and backtracked from his remarks suggesting that he didn’t need to speak French, even though the company is officially bilingual. He also pledged to learn the language as an apology. Do you think this apology was acceptable? In addition to his apology, what else should he do (ex. create language policies, promote the French language)? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s really necessary for every AirCanada employee to know both languages? Why or why not? Discuss.