Once you start teaching ESL Business English classes, you soon realize that grammar

explanations and simple activities aren't enough to satisfy the needs of your students. I learned
this very quickly when meeting face to face with advanced students. To create an interactive
atmosphere that is student centered, you need to create scenarios where students are required to
speak much more than you. Role plays are one of the best ways to accomplish this.

This role play is best for either teaching a small group of students or by setting up your classroom
so that group work is easy enough for each student to hear each other.

The Scenario:

Barbara owns a small home goods boutique that has been open for several years. Soon, she won't
be able to spend as much time in the shop because of family concerns. Now she must choose
between her top 3 associates to take on a new role as a manager.

The Roles:

The 4 roles required for this are The Shop Owner, The Well Known Designer, The Top
Salesperson, and The Former Shop Manager. Print out each of the following role cards and give
them to members of the group.

The Well Known Designer:

You are a well known interior designer with many high profile clients. You believe you should be
the manager because you have more connections than any of the other associates. These
connections can bring more business into the shop.

The Top Salesperson:

Since the first day the shop has been open, you have been the top salesperson. You have shown
that you have the ability to work well with customers. You believe that you can train the other
associates to sell as good as you can.

The Former Shop Manager:

You are the newest employee in the shop but you also have the most experience in the home
goods industry. In the past, you worked for a direct competitor of the shop as a store manager.
You believe your previous experience should be the main reason to choose you as the manager.

The Shop Owner: Make a list of 3-5 questions to ask each associate. Listen carefully and take
notes while each person is speaking. After asking each person the questions, you must decide
which person will be the best for the manager's position. You will be required to explain your
choice to the group. There is no wrong or right answer.
Teacher's Role:

As the teacher, your role is to direct and observe this role play. Be sure to take notes of any errors
and mistakes that arise. Also, because this is a higher level activity with students that are more
advanced, pay attention to speech that is awkward that could be said more easily in another way.
This can be a great way to delve deeper into the activity or to plan future lessons. Encourage
students to think on the spot even if the answer to the shop owner's questions aren't written
down on their role card.

Follow Up Questions:

What do you think matters most; personal connections, sales achievement, or previous
experience?

If you had to choose someone other than yourself to take the manager position, who would you
choose?

What was the most important factor in choosing the manager?

How do you think most promotion decisions are made?

What was the most difficult question that the store owner asked? Why was it difficult?

There's so many ways you can add to this activity. For example, students can prepare Powerpoint
presentations on qualities of a good manager or an organized persuasive speech on which of the
candidates would be most qualified to run the shop. It can also be a jumping off point for creating
classroom debates where you discuss issues like sales performance versus previous experience.
Please comment below if you need any clarifications, help making this work in your classroom, or
your experience using this role play.

Selected Readings in Business (Shulman) Case Study Role Plays: Chapters 1-14
Copyright © University of Michigan
Case Study Role Plays
Chapter 1 Role Play: The Case for Flexibility
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Tom Jacobson meets with Walter Harrington to discuss offering flexible
job arrangements and training programs to the employees at TJE.
• Setting: The office of TJE President Tom Jacobson
• Goal: Tom Jacobson hopes to persuade Walter Harrington to implement flextime,
part-time jobs, job-sharing, family leaves, and a daycare center.
Chapter 2 Role Play: The Case for Going Global
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Sergei Markov meets with Alexei Romantov to consider whether
Phonetika should go global.
• Setting: The Phonetika conference room in Moscow, Russia
• Goal: Alexei Romantov wants to arrive at an agreement with Sergei Markov that
Phonetika will become a global corporation.
Chapter 3 Role Play: The Case for Mergers
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: George Harris, Patrick Fitzgerald, and Paula Bergman meet to discuss
the options that International Airlines (IA) can choose to prevent a hostile
takeover by Roland Crane.
• Setting: The IA conference room
• Goal: Patrick Fitzgerald wants to persuade George Harris and Paula Bergman to
agree to a merger with Worldwide Airlines (WA).Selected Readings in Business (Shulman) Case
Study Role Plays: Chapters 1-14
Copyright © University of Michigan
Chapter 4 Role Play: The Case for Language
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Luciana Saliba offers Rogerio de Almeida the opportunity, financed by
Quantum SA, to study for a graduate degree at the University of Texas.
• Setting: Luciana’s office at Quantum SA in Curitiba, Brazil.
• Goal: Rogerio wants to explain the pros and cons of accepting this opportunity
and explain his reasons for rejecting it.
Chapter 5 Role Play: The Case for Brand Names
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Jorge Hernandez talks to Alejandra Santos about his assignment to
choose a new brand name for FMF.
• Setting: Jorge’s office at FMF in Mexico City, Mexico
• Goal: Jorge hopes to get Alejandra’s support for his choice of a new brand name.
Chapter 6 Role Play: The Case for E-Commerce
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: The eight members of the Taitech corporate executive group meet to
consider selling new entertainment products.
• Setting: The executive conference room at Taitech in Taiwan
• Goal: Chen-Hao Hu wants to convince the executive group that Taitech should
sell adult entertainment products.
Chapter 7 Role Play: The Case for Computer Crime
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: David Burnside talks to Karen Hanley about her computer abuse at
E&G Insurance.
• Setting: A cafe near Karen’s apartment in Toronto, Ontario.
• Goal: David intends to make Karen understand the possible legal consequences of
her actions and persuade her to close her business, Hanley Associates.Selected Readings in
Business (Shulman) Case Study Role Plays: Chapters 1-14
Copyright © University of Michigan
Chapter 8 Role Play: The Case for Cloning
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Valerie and Michael O’Sullivan talk with Dr. Edgar Bellino about
whether to adopt a child or to use cloning.
• Setting: Dr. Bellino’s office in San Francisco, California
• Goal: Valerie hopes she can persuade Michael to have a baby through cloning
after he listens to Dr. Bellino’s explanation of the technique.
Chapter 9 Role Play: The Case for Longevity
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Vijay Ramachandas talks with Eliot, the coordinator of the study, about
the discouraging results of the Imortale study.
• Setting: Vijay’s office in Madras, India
• Goal: Vijay and Eliot have to decide whether to stop the study of Imortale or to
continue it.
Chapter 10 Role Play: The Case for Equality
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Abla Shobadi and Abdullah Najar talk about whether to get married.
• Setting: Abla’s house in Amman, Jordan
• Goal: Abla and Abdullah try to reach a decision on the future of their relationship.
Chapter 11 Role Play: The Case for Expatriate Training
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Denise Chapman and Junichiro Yasuda have their initial meeting at
Akuta Corporation in Tokyo, Japan.
• Setting: Mr. Yasuda’s office in Akuta Corporation in Tokyo, Japan
• Goal: Denise Chapman wants to make a good impression on Mr. Yasuda and to
discuss her new assignment as Marketing Manager for Akuta Japan.Selected Readings in
Business (Shulman) Case Study Role Plays: Chapters 1-14
Copyright © University of Michigan
Chapter 12 Role Play: The Case for Negotiations
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Carolyn Goodman and Paul Wendt meet with Han Su, Wu Mai, Chen
Qin, and Zeng Li to present their proposal for a joint venture between Investese
and Chan Ching.
• Setting: The conference room at Chan Ching in Shanghai, China
• Goal: Carolyn Goodman and Paul Wendt want to get acquainted with Han Su, Wu
Mai, Chen Qin, and Zeng Li and to lay the groundwork for a joint venture
between Investese and Chan Ching.
Chapter 13 Role Play: The Case for Management
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Juan Carlos Delgado meets with members of upper management at
Delgado Mobiliario to talk over problems in the company: employees who come
to work late, leave early, or don’t show up at all; low morale among the workers;
and sloppy work habits.
• Setting: The President’s office in Delgado Mobiliario in Barcelona, Spain
• Goal: Juan Carlos hopes to get feedback from upper management about the
management techniques that he could use to improve the situation at Delgado
Mobiliario.
Chapter 14 Role Play: The Case for Entrepreneurship
After you plan and practice the following role play, perform it for the class.
• Scenario: Maria Laura Flores meets with Carola Casari to discuss the possibility
of taking the position of Director of the IMF Training Institute
• Setting: Carola Casari’s office at the IMF in Washington, DC
• Goal: Carola Casari intends to persuade Maria Laura Flores to accept the position
of Director of the IMF Training Institute.