COURSE INTRODUCTION

BUSINESS ENGLISH 2

2008/09 FIRST YEAR, SPRING SEMESTER

Lecturer: VIŠNJA KABALIN BORENIĆOffice hours: Monday 12.00-13.00

Wednesday 15.30 – 16.30 Friday 15.00 – 16.30

Room: 20Phone: 238 3204E-mail: vkborenic@efzg.hrInfo: www.efzg.hr/vkabalin & www.efzg.hr

The notice board in the Department corridor

Student tutor: ENA MOSTARAC

OFFICE HOURS: to be posted on the

notice board soon!

See her to catch up with the latest developments in class if you are unable to attend regularly!

Department secretary: ANA BENETAContact her regarding exam registration & any other administrative issue

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• to develop business communication skills (written and oral)

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• to develop business communication skills (written and oral)

• to acquire specialist vocabulary (on selected business topics)

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• to develop business communication skills (written and oral)

• to acquire specialist vocabulary (on selected business topics)

• to encourage critical thinking (analysis, synthesis, anticipating, deducing,selecting)

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• to develop business communication skills (written and oral)

• to acquire specialist vocabulary (on selected business topics)

• to encourage critical thinking (analysis, synthesis, anticipating, deducing,selecting)

• to understand the difference between written/spoken and formal/informal lang.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• to develop business communication skills (written and oral)

• to acquire specialist vocabulary (on selected business topics)

• to encourage critical thinking (analysis, synthesis, anticipating, deducing,selecting)

• to understand the difference between written/spoken and formal/informal lang.

• to learn how to use dictionaries and other reference material

TOPICS• Meetings• Market structure and competition• Retailing and e-commerce• International trade and the EU• Banking• Central banking• Taxation• Exchange rates• Insurance• Stocks and shares, Bonds, Futures and

derivatives• Takeovers, mergers and buyouts

Skills focus:

• Language of meetings– (incl. agenda, memo, minutes)

• Writing reports/memos/agendas

• Describing graphs and charts

REQUIRED LITERATURE

• MacKenzie, I. (2002) ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS STUDIES, CUP

→units 13-19, 23, 24, 27

• BUSINESS ENGLISH READER 2 (2008/9!)

• students aspiring to grade A are expected to read and be able to discuss all of the material provided in the literature

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• regular attendance is OBLIGATORY for full-time students

• IF YOU MISS A CLASS: keep up-to-date with the course progression (ask your colleagues, see me or Ena during office hours, visit my web page, email me…);

• active in-class participation (home assignments, participation in discussions);

• organizing and role-playing a business meeting (students aspiring to A or B);

• passing progress tests or the comprehensive exam

TWO EXAM OPTIONS

1) CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT – (BEFORE REGULAR EXAM DATES)

• business meeting – (for students aspiring to A or B)

• two progress tests – (regular submission of written homework

assignments is a requirement – 60% min)

• active in-class participation• a comprehensive oral exam

2) REGULAR EXAM DATES

• business meeting – (for students aspiring to A or B)

• final comprehensive written test (regular examination period)

• final comprehensive oral exam (regular exam period)

MEETINGS

• GET INTO GROUPS OF 6-7 STUDENTS (exchange mobile phone numbers or e-mail

addresses; please remember your group!) → SEE THE LIST

• CHOOSE A DATE FOR THE MEETING (the meetings will be held in my room during

my office hours throughout the semester ) → SEE THE LIST

• PREPARE THE TOPIC OF THE MEETING, AGENDA, MINUTES AND ROLES

(hand in the agenda and minutes on the day of the meeting)

• USE CLASS INPUT (READER 2) ON THE STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE OF MEETINGS

• REHEARSE YOUR ROLE ALONE AND WITH

YOUR TEAM

FINAL ORAL EXAM

• checks your speaking skills, coherent and clear presentation of the subject

• students answer three questions on the topics covered during the semester using the relevant terminology

• this is followed by brief discussion

• it lasts around 5-10 minutes

Recommended literature:Longman Business English Dictionary Špiljak, V. ed. (2000) Englesko-hrvatski poslovni rječnik,

Masmedia Murphy Grammar (student whose general English is weak

pls see my student tutor)

Suggested sources:• Business Week, The Financial Times, The Economist …• CNBC, Bloomberg, business programmes on BBC and

CNN• web sites: bized.com, investopedia.com, quickmba.com,

startup.wsj.com, dictionary.com, harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu, encarta.msn.com, acronymfinder.com, uefap.com, , cusd.com/calonline/econ

THIS WEEK …

– INTRODUCTION TO MEETINGS

– PLEASE BUY READER 2 A.S.A.P.

(in Mikrorad on Tuesday)!!!– HOMEWORK: STUDY PAGES 1-5 IN

READER 2