Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Hertz. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
Hertz is the world's leading vehicle renting organization. It operates from approximately 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. It is the largest general use car rental brand in the world and is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 69 major airports in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers handle approximately 40 million phone calls and receive 30 million reservations annually. The company started in 1923 when John Hertz of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company bought a car renting company from Walter L. Jacobs - the pioneer of auto renting. He called it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s mission “is to be the most customer-focused, cost-efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market.”
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WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Hertz on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. HERTZ MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Hertz. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Hertz. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Hertz and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Hertz. They write these down and add the same number of things about the company that are false. Students test each other on which of their points are true or false.
6. FACTS:In groups, students write down as many facts as they can about Hertz. The winner is the group with the most facts. Teacher may wish to have groups share their facts to make sure they are real.
LISTENING / READING GAP FILL
Hertz is _____________________ vehicle renting organization. It _____________________ 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. It is the largest _____________________ rental brand in the world and is the _____________________ car rental brand in the U.S. and at 69 major airports in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers handle approximately 40 million phone _____________________ million reservations annually. The company started in 1923 when John Hertz of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company _____________________ company from Walter L. Jacobs - the pioneer of auto renting. He called it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s mission “is to be the _____________________, cost-efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing _____________________ market.”
CORRECT THE SPELLING
Hertz is the world's leading vehicle etnngir organization. It operates from approximately 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. It is the largest eelagnr use car rental brand in the world and is the number one airport car anltre brand in the U.S. and at 69 major airports in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers hnaled approximately 40 million phone calls and ivercee 30 lnlomii reservations annually. The company started in 1923 when John Hertz of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company bought a car renting company from Walter L. Jacobs - the eeponri of auto renting. He called it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s ssnmioi “is to be the most customer-focused, cost-efficient clhveie and equipment rental/leasing company in every terakm.”
UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
Hertz leading world's the is renting vehicle organization. It operates from approximately 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. use It the general car is largest rental the is and world the in brand number one airport car rental 69 at and . S U the in brand airports major in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers handle phone million 40 approximately and calls receive 30 million reservations annually. The company started in John of Yellow when Hertz the 1923 Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company bought a car renting company from Walter L. Jacobs - the pioneer of auto renting. He called it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s mission “is focused - customer most the be to, cost-rental and efficient equipment vehicle/leasing company in every market.”
hertz is the world's leading vehicle renting organization it operates from approximately 7700 locations in 145 countries worldwide it is the largest general use car rental brand in the world and is the number one airport car rental brand in the us and at 69 major airports in europe hertz's worldwide reservations centers handle approximately 40 million phone calls and receive 30 million reservations annually the company started in 1923 when john hertz of the yellow cab and yellow truck and coach manufacturing company bought a car renting company from walter l jacobs - the pioneer of auto renting he called it the hertz drive-ur-self system hertz’s mission “is to be the most customer-focused cost-efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market”
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
Hertz .......... (be) the world's leading vehicle renting organization. It .......... (operate) from approximately 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. It .......... (be) the largest general use car rental brand in the world and .......... (be) the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 69 major airports in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers .......... (handle) approximately 40 million phone calls and .......... (receive) 30 million reservations annually. The company .......... (start) in 1923 when John Hertz of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company .......... (buy) a car renting company from Walter L. Jacobs - the pioneer of auto renting. He .......... (call) it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s mission “.......... (be) to be the most customer-focused, cost-efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market.”
Hertz is the world's leading vehicle renting organization. It ____________ from approximately 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. It is the largest general use car ____________ brand in the world and is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 69 ____________ airports in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers ____________ approximately 40 million phone calls and receive 30 million reservations ____________. The company started in 1923 when John Hertz of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company ____________ a car renting company from Walter L. Jacobs - the ____________ of auto renting. He called it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s ____________ “is to be the most customer-focused, cost-____________ vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every ____________.”
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PROJECT HERTZ
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Hertz. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How Hertz is better than the competition
How to beat the competition
Part 2. Change partners and look at their project. Suggest improvements. Ask for advice on your project:
Part 3. Make a presentation on your project. Give it to the class. Vote the best projects.
HERTZ – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Hertz CEO
You believe your company is the best in the world. It pays its workers very well and working conditions are great. Your company is very green – it cares about the environment. You think your levels of customer service are great. Disagree with person B, C and D.
Role B – Hertz worker
You think it’s a bad company to work for. You’re very unhappy with pay, raises and bonuses. You are very unhappy with the working environment. You don’t like the company’s policy on the environment. You keep hearing profits are more important than customers. Disagree with A and C. Tell D the truth.
Role C – Hertz customer
You are a customer of Hertz. You used to think it was great, but not now. Its workers are always very rude. No one ever answers the phone. You are shocked about its policy on the environment. You think all staff should get less pay. You disagree with person A and B. Tell D the truth.
Role D – A journalist
You keep hearing bad things about Hertz. You want to tell the world in your newspaper. You heard the CEO gets a huge bonus every year. You found a company memo saying profits are more important than the environment. You want to know why so many staff are ill. Find the truth.
HERTZ – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Hertz New Products Director
You have created a new product for Hertz. You believe the new product will be the company’s best ever. It will be a bestseller. There are people who do not agree with you. You need B, C and D on your side. Tell them why this is a product that will bring great things to Hertz.
Role B – Hertz Marketing Director
You think the company’s new product is a really bad idea. It will give your company a really bad name. You think the New Products Director is trying to destroy the company. Try to get him/her to understand there’s no way the new product will sell. Try to get person C and D on your side.
Role C – Hertz Market Researcher
You have interviewed thousands of people about the new product. They don’t like it or hate it. You think it will be successful if they make many changes. Tell the New Products Director he/she needs to change the product. You neither like nor trust person B. Disagree will him/her.
Role D – Hertz Shareholder
You know a lot about Hertz’s new product. You are worried it will not sell and share prices will go down. You think A is crazy and must find a new job. You agree with everything B says. You don’t agree with C. The new product should not go on the market.
Write a letter of apology to the customer. Explain why you cannot give a refund. Show your partner your letter. Correct each other’s work.
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HOMEWORK
1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET INFO: Search the Internet and find more information about Hertz. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Hertz. What have they done recently? What are their plans? Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
4. HERTZ POSTERMake a poster about Hertz. Make sure you sell the company to the public. Show it to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your posters.
5. MY HERTZ LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Hertz. Make sure there is a good mix of things to do. Find some good online activities. Teach the class / another group when you have finished.
6. ONLINE SHARING:Use your blog, wiki, Facebook page, MySpace page, Twitter stream, Del-icio-us / StumbleUpon account, or any other social media tool to get opinions on Hertz. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
