Introductory notes

Caring capitalism is central to Ben & Jerry’s way of doing business. It means undertaking social and environmental projects outside the company. It also means treating the company’s own employees with unusual respect. One of Ben & Jerry’s major problems is deciding how much money employees should earn.

Keep the problem in mind as you do the following exercises.

EXPLORING BUSINESS CULTURE: EMPLOYER – EMPLOYEE RELATIONS.

Read each statement about a business practice related to employer-employee relations at Ben & Jerry's. Then, check [×] whether you consider them usual or unusual business practices. In small groups, compare your answers and discuss the ones you have checkmarked as unusual.

Aspects of Employer-Employee Relations at Ben & Jerry’s

	Usual	Unusual
1. Employees have many opportunities to speak with and write to the highest executives in the company.
2. Employees are encouraged to express their concerns openly at meetings.
3. The opinions of employees have a significant influence on the policies made by top executives.
4. Employees of all ranks meet together several times a year to discuss company issues.
5. Employees know approximately how much everyone else in the company earns.
6. All employees have stock (ownership) in the company.

Language hints for negotiation: conceding a point

In order to negotiate effectively as a business manager, you need to be able to recognize what is right about what your co-worker, employee, or client says before you disagree with it. If you begin by conceding that the other person has made a good point, that person will be much more likely to pay attention to your view.

Here are some linking words and expressions you can use to concede a point:

Listing	Giving examples	Generalising
first, second, third	for example	in general
first, furthermore, finally	for instance	generally
to begin, to conclude	as follows:	on the whole
next	that is	as a rule
Reinforcement	in this case	for the most part
also	namely	in most cases
furthermore	in other words	usually
moreover	Result/consequence	Highlighting
what is more	so	in particular
in addition	therefore	particularly
besides	as a result/consequence	especially
above all	accordingly	mainly
as well (as)	consequently	Reformulation
in the same way	because of this/that	in other words
not only ... but also	thus	rather
Similarity	hence	to put it more simply
equally	for this/that reason	Expressing an alternative
likewise	so that	alternatively
similarly	in that case	rather
correspondingly	under these circumstances	on the other hand
in the same way	Deduction	the alternative is
Transition to new point	then	another possibility would be
now,	in other words	Contrast
as far as x is concerned	in that case	instead
with regard/reference to	otherwise	conversely
as for ...	this implies that ...	on the contrary
it follows that	if so/not	in contrast
turning to	Stating the obvious	in comparison
Summary	obviously	Concession (sth unexpected)
in conclusion	clearly	however
to conclude	naturally	even though
in brief	of course	however much
to summarise	as can be expected	nevertheless
overall	surely	still
therefore	after all	yet

Work in small groups. Discuss one or more of these situations. Give your own ideas and opinions. When you want to disagree, first concede a point, then state your disagreement. Use the words from the list above.

1. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade might try to develop a low-fat ice cream. Is this a good business idea?

2. Imagine that the University of Vermont, the major public university in the state, has approached Ben & Jerry’s for a donation. Should the company contribute? If so, what kind of contribution should it make? Decide on one of the following:

• scholarships for children of farmers

• an extension to the business school building

• support for a new professor’s position in environmental studies

CONDUCTING A BUSINESS MEETING: A STAFF MEETING

Useful phrases

In my opinion... The way I see things... If you ask me,... I tend to think that... 

Asking for Opinions

Do you (really) think that... (name of participant) can we get your input? How do you feel about...?

Commenting on Other Opinions

I never thought about it that way before. Good point! I get your point. I see what you mean.

Agreeing with Other Opinions

Exactly! That’s (exactly) the way I feel. I have to agree with (name of participant).

Disagreeing with Other Opinions

Up to a point I agree with you, but... (I’m afraid) I can’t agree

Advising and Suggesting

We should... Why don’t you.... How/What about... I suggest/recommend that...

Clarifying

Have I made that clear? Do you see what I’m getting at? Let me put this another way... I’d just like to repeat that...

Requesting Information

I’ like you to... Would you mind... I wonder if you could...

Asking for Repetition

I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat that, please? I missed that. Could you say it again, please? Could you run that by me one more time?

Asking for Clarification

I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what your are getting at. Could you explain to me how that is going to work? I don’t see what you mean. Could we have some more details, please?

Asking for Verification

Do you mean that...? Is it true that...?

Asking for Spelling

Would you mind spelling that for me, please?

Asking for Contributions for Other Participants

What do you think about this proposal? Would you like to add anything, (name of participant)? Has anyone else got anything to contribute? Are there any more comments?

Correcting Information

Sorry, that’s not quite right. I'm afraid you don’t understand what I'm saying. That’s not quite what I had in mind. That’s not what I meant.

Keeping the Meeting on Time

Well, that seems to be all the time we have today. Please be brief. I’m afraid we’ve run out of time. I’m afraid that’s outside the scope of this meeting. Let’s get back on track, why don’t we? That’s not really why we’re here today. Why don’t we return to the main focus of today’s meeting. We’ll have to leave that to another time. We’re beginning to lose sight of the main point. Keep to the point, please.