Turn your lessons into experiences.
Lessons students want to explore, participate in and remember.
Edugine helps tutors create and run live learning experiences where students actively participate, interact and collaborate — while tutors see what students are doing and guide the lesson in real time.
Lesson
B2ENSave the Company: Decisions That Make or Break a Business — Third Conditional for Past Mistakes
A 40-year-old family business is six months from bankruptcy. Analyse what went wrong, debate radical solutions, and make the toughest decision in the company's history. Master third conditional for past business mistakes and conditional negotiation for future strategy. A practical B2/C1 English lesson on third conditional, strategic decision-making, and crisis communication. Ideal for adult learners, English tutors, and language schools.
How this lesson works
Students participate
Students interact directly with the lesson — responding, speaking, solving tasks, making decisions and joining activities.
You see what is happening
See student responses, answers, mistakes and activity in real time where supported.
You guide the experience
Guide the lesson, manage activities and timing, and respond to what students are doing where supported.
Everyone participates
Students actively contribute and interact instead of simply consuming lesson content.
The Crisis Brief — Henderson & Sons Furniture. Content Block
Content Block
Henderson & Sons has been making handcrafted wooden furniture in Manchester since 1984. Founded by brothers James and Robert Henderson, it grew from a small workshop to a company with 120 employees, three showrooms, and a loyal customer base across the UK. For decades, people associated the Henderson name with quality — solid oak tables that lasted a lifetime, chairs your grandchildren would inherit. Then everything changed. In 2020, online furniture retailers like IKEA and Wayfair exploded. Henderson's showroom traffic dropped 60% in two years. They launched a website in 2021, but it looked like it was built in 2005. Their products were three times more expensive than the competition and took eight weeks to deliver. Younger customers didn't know the brand existed. James Henderson, now 72, refused to change. "We've always done it this way," he told his daughter Sophie when she suggested modernising. Robert retired in 2022 and took his investment with him. The company took a bank loan of £800,000 to survive. It is now 2026. Henderson & Sons has £200,000 left in the bank and is losing £45,000 per month. They owe the bank £650,000. The three showrooms cost £30,000 per month in rent. Staff morale is collapsing — 15 employees have left in the past six months. The best carpenter, who has worked there for 25 years, just handed in his resignation. Sophie Henderson, 34, has taken over as CEO. She has called an emergency board meeting. The company has six months before the money runs out. She needs a plan — today.
Discussion questions
- What was Henderson's biggest mistake? When should they have acted differently?
- Is it possible to save a traditional business like this, or is it too late?
- If you were Sophie, what would be the first thing you would do?
Business Crisis Vocabulary. Taboo
Taboo
Bankruptcy
- money
- close
- debt
- fail
- end
Restructure
- change
- organisation
- cut
- new
- rebuild
Cash flow
- money
- in
- out
- monthly
- account
Downsize
- smaller
- fire
- reduce
- cut
- less
Rebrand
- new
- name
- image
- change
- logo
Pivot
- turn
- change
- direction
- new
- different
Stakeholder
- interest
- person
- invest
- share
- involved
Leverage
- use
- advantage
- power
- strength
- position
Liquidate
- sell
- close
- everything
- end
- assets
Turnaround
- save
- recover
- improve
- fix
- better
Lesson Board
Lesson Board
Fix the Board Report. Correct the Mistake
Correct the Mistake
If we would have invested in digital marketing sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation.
If we had invested in digital marketing sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation.
The company should has modernised its website at least three years ago.
The company should have modernised its website at least three years ago.
If Robert hasn't withdrawn his investment, we would have had more time.
If Robert hadn't withdrawn his investment, we would have had more time.
We could have avoid this crisis if we had listened to younger staff.
We could have avoided this crisis if we had listened to younger staff.
Revenue would had been higher if we have offered delivery options.
Revenue would have been higher if we had offered delivery options.
If we didn't take the bank loan, we would have closed two years ago.
If we hadn't taken the bank loan, we would have closed two years ago.
The board should have been act more decisively when the first signs appeared.
The board should have acted more decisively when the first signs appeared.
If the company would have kept its best employees, the quality wouldn't have dropped.
If the company had kept its best employees, the quality wouldn't have dropped.
Four Rescue Plans — Which One Survives? Jigsaw Reading
Jigsaw Reading
Plan A — Sell to a Corporation
A large furniture chain has offered to buy Henderson & Sons for £1.2 million. The deal would pay off the bank loan and give the Henderson family £550,000. But the buyer plans to close two showrooms, move production overseas, and keep only the brand name. Most employees would be laid off. Sophie would stay as "Brand Ambassador" for one year — essentially a marketing role with no real power. The Henderson name would live on, but everything it stood for would disappear. James says he would rather close the company than sell its soul.
Plan B — Go Digital and Downsize
Close all three showrooms. Move to a single workshop with an online-only model. Cut staff from 120 to 35 — keeping only the best craftspeople and hiring a small digital team. Invest the remaining £200,000 in a new website, social media marketing, and partnerships with interior design influencers. Delivery time drops from eight weeks to three. Revenue projections: breakeven in 14 months, profit in 24. Risk: if online sales don't grow fast enough, the £200,000 runs out before the business stabilises.
Plan C — The Luxury Pivot
Stop trying to compete with IKEA. Reposition Henderson as an ultra-premium brand. Raise prices by 50%. Limit production to 200 pieces per year, each numbered and signed by the craftsperson. Target wealthy clients, boutique hotels, and interior designers. Close two showrooms, keep one as a "showroom-gallery" in central London. Risk: the luxury market is crowded and Henderson has no reputation in that space. Building a luxury brand from scratch takes years and money they don't have.
Plan D — Close with Dignity
Accept that the company cannot be saved in its current form. Use the remaining £200,000 to pay redundancy to all employees, sell the equipment, and close the business. Pay as much of the bank loan as possible. Sophie and the senior craftspeople start a new, smaller venture — a cooperative workshop making custom furniture on commission. No debt, no showrooms, no pressure. Start from zero with the skills and reputation they still have. James says this feels like failure. Sophie says it feels like freedom.
Comprehension questions
- Which plan gives Henderson the best chance of survival? Why?
- Which plan is the riskiest, and would you still try it?
- Is there a way to combine elements from different plans?
The Emergency Board Meeting. Mission Briefing
Mission Briefing
Scenario
Sophie Henderson has called an emergency board meeting. Henderson & Sons has £200,000 left and is losing £45,000 per month. The company will close in six months unless the board agrees on a rescue plan today. Four plans are on the table. The board must choose one — or create a hybrid. Use third conditional to analyse past mistakes and conditionals to debate the future. You have 15 minutes.
Sophie Henderson — CEO
You took over from your father three months ago. You believe Plan B (digital + downsize) is the smartest option — it preserves the craft while adapting to reality. But you are open to other ideas.
Must use: Your real concern: your father James still owns 60% of the shares. If he vetoes your plan, nothing happens. You need his approval, but he is emotionally attached to the old way. Find a way to respect his legacy while saving the company. Do not reveal that you have already had informal conversations with the corporate buyer from Plan A — just in case.
James Henderson — Founder
You built this company with your bare hands. You hate all four plans. Selling feels like betrayal. Downsizing means firing people you've known for decades. The luxury pivot sounds like pretending to be something you're not. Closing is admitting failure.
Must use: Your real concern: you feel guilty. You know you should have modernised years ago. If you had listened to Sophie in 2020, none of this would have happened. But admitting that publicly feels impossible. You will support whoever makes you feel like your life's work mattered — regardless of which plan they propose.
The Bank Representative
The bank is owed £650,000. You are here to protect the bank's investment. You don't care which plan wins — you care about getting your money back.
Must use: Your real concern: if Henderson goes bankrupt, the bank recovers almost nothing. A structured sale (Plan A) guarantees repayment. Any other plan is a gamble. Push for Plan A unless someone can show you hard numbers proving another plan repays the loan faster. You have the power to call in the loan early if you lose confidence.
The Head Carpenter — 25 Years at Henderson
You are the most senior employee. You represent the 120 workers whose jobs depend on this decision. You have already handed in your resignation but you haven't left yet.
Must use: Your real concern: you resigned because you felt abandoned, not because you want to leave. If the board shows you a genuine plan that values the craft and the people, you will stay — and convince others to stay too. You know that if you leave, at least 10 more skilled workers will follow within a month. Reveal this only if nobody acknowledges the human cost of their plan.
Why Edugine?
Turn your lessons into experiences.
Edugine helps tutors create and run live learning experiences where students actively participate, interact and collaborate — while tutors see what students are doing and guide the lesson in real time.