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BUSINESS ENGLISH II

Course code HUM 103

Course title Business English II

Type of course Main

Stage of study First/Bachelor

Year of study 1st

Semester Spring

ECTS credits 6;

60 class work hours, 100 individual work hours;

2 consultation hours

Coordinating lecturer PhD student Jolita Butkien

Study form Full time

Course prerequisites

Language of tuition English

Annotation

Speaking a language that is understood by decision makers is critical for success in business and business studies. The primary goal of the Business English II course is to provide instruction and practice in oral and written English using business-related topics as its content base. The course also aims at developing students speaking, listening, reading and writing skills for academic purposes. The course is designed to develop students self-study skills and learner independence.

Subject Learning Outcomes

Subject Learning Outcomes Teaching and learning methods Evaluation methods

SLO1. Students will be able to read/listen to and understand authentic texts related to their studies for general idea and for detail.

Class assignments, individual work (articles from business journals and newspapers, and texts written for second language learners).

Progress test, examination.

SLO2. Students will be able to derive vocabulary meaning from context; develop vocabulary building skills and acquire sufficient vocabulary in the topic areas defined in the course outline.

Class assignments, homework exercises (articles from business journals and newspapers, and texts and exercises for second language learners).

Progress test, examination.

SLO3. Students will develop business communication skills in key performance areas such as exchanging information, discussing and presenting business issues.

Class assignments, role-plays and simulations of meetings.

Case study, role-plays, class and homework group assignments.

SLO4. Students will be able to write and structure business reports, write summaries

Class assignments and individual homework.

Class and homework written assignments, examination.

SLO5. The learners will be able to give presentations, participate in meetings, discussions and negotiations

Individual and group presentations, role-plays, simulations.

Assessed individual and group presentations, role-plays, news updates.

Quality assurance

Reflective teaching; applying critical thinking skills; regular group and individual feedback provided to the students; students feedback on the course quality. Cheating prevention

Individual oral and written assignments and presentations; individual tasks. Tests administered with the assistance of doctoral students.

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Course outline:

Time Topic Language skills, vocabulary Assignments (class and

homework) Hour

s

Week 1

Course introduction. Venture capital (Unit 15)

Overview of tasks and assignments. Course requirements. Maze (discussion, small-group decision making).

BBC &CNN news reports HW: Language exercises

4

Week 2

Financial institutions. Banking. (Unit 14) .

Getting a loan. Banking vocabulary. Ways of raising finance for new businesses.

News update. Role-play: investing in start-ups. HW: Language exercises

4

Week 3

Negotiating skills Report writing (1)

The language of negotiations. What are good negotiations and successful negotiators? Report writing conventions: structure, style, layout.

News update.

Roleplay: negotiating a contract. HW: Language exercises

4

Week 4

Negotiations (2)

Participating in negotiations: preparation, participation, discussion, reaching agreement.

News update. Assessed role-play: negotiations

HW: Report on negotiations. 4

Week 5

Investment. Bonds (Unit 16)

Financial terms. Discussing different investment possibilities.

News update. HW: Tasks from hand-outs 4

Week 6

Stocks and shares (Unit 17)

Financial terms. Stock market idioms. Numbers.

News update. Case study: investment HW: Tasks from hand-outs

4

Week 7

Progress test.

TED talks

Analysis of talks: ( J. Bezos On the next web innovation; K. Robinson Changing education paradigm)

News update. HW: Summary of two TED talks

2

2

Week 8

Prices and commodities

Words and phrases in the context of price and money

News update. Case study: Sumitomo bank 4

Week 9

Describing graphs and figures. Report writing (2)

The language to describe changes. Cause and effect. Tenses review. TED:The beauty of data visualization Different types of visuals.

News update.

Report on statistics/visuals. HW: Language exercises

4

Week 10

Accounting and financial statements. (Unit 19)

Financial terms. Interpreting financial documents.

News update. HW: Tasks from handouts

4

Week 11

Presentations

Student TED conference

Individual oral presentation.

4

Week 12

Mergers and Acquisitions. (Unit 21)

Discussing advantages and disadvantages of takeovers and mergers.

News update. Case study: making new acquisitions HW: Tasks from handouts

4

Week 13

Finance and Credit Business ethics

Expressions of bankruptcy, debt and credit.

News update.

4

Week 14

Case study: Amazon.com

Group presentations, analysis, discussions.

4

Week 15

Course review Portfolio presentation and evaluation News update.

4

Total 60

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Self-study and assessment

Assignment Number of self-study

hours Percentage of the total grade

Progress test 20 20 %

Case study (Group presentations and discussion) 10 10 %

News update 10 10 %

Course oral assignments (negotiations, presentations, role-plays)

10 10 %

TED talk 10 10 %

Course written assignments (summaries and reports) 10 10 %

Portfolio 10 10 %

Examination test 20 20 %

Consultation 2

Total 100 hours 100 %

Assessment 1. Test. It consists of topics covered during weeks1-6 of the term. The test covers all four language skills (reading,

listening, writing and speaking) and contains vocabulary and language use items. 2. Course oral assignments include:

Presentations. Speaking is assessed through group/peer and individual presentations. Structure, vocabulary,

signposting, use of target vocabulary and grammar accuracy are assessed.

Meetings and negotiations. Role-plays are assessed for the use of language of meetings and negotiations,

active participation, clear and successful communication, task achievement.

Active participation means appropriate preparation for classes, active involvement in discussions and

meaningful contributions to any other class tasks. 3. Course written assignments include:

Summaries and reports. They are assessed for keeping appropriate format, style and register, task

achievement, and accuracy. They might be assigned as homework or written in class.

Any marks for surprise language tests will be included in this part of the assessment. 4. News update. This is a weekly assignment delivered by two students each week. The update should include

summary of the main news of the previous/current week, based on BBC and CNN or any reliable written sources. The length is 10 min.-15 min. 5. Portfolio. The Portfolio of students work is an individual file which includes evidence of students work during the term. It should include summaries of weekly news updates delivered by colleagues every week, written summaries of three articles taken from The Economist or any other reliable magazine or newspaper, related to the topics covered during the term or other current issues, language development exercises assigned for individual study. 6. Case study. This is a whole term group assignment which includes looking for and analysing information about on-line

and traditional selling models (Amazon.com vs Barnes and Noble). It weighs 10% of the final mark. Students work in groups, find and read information for the topic, prepare vocabulary notes and are able to answer general comprehension questions on the case content. After analysing the information they will prepare group PP presentations. For the case discussion, they should be ready to provide arguments and reasons for their opinions. Some students will act as facilitators and will be responsible for organising and running the discussion. 7. Examination is given at the end of the semester. It accounts for 20 % of the final mark. It consists of listening,

grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing tasks, covering topics of the whole term. 8. Re-take examination is taken by the students who do not get a pass mark at the end of the course. It is a test on the topics of the whole course and accounts for 40% of the mark, plus case study (10%), portfolio (10%), news update (10%), written and oral assignments (30%). 9. General instructions

Write your name on all assignments All the assignment must be completed in conformity with the General Format Requirement for Undergraduate

Student Paper

All the written assignment must be typed Double space all assignments If you send your assignment by email, send it as a Word attachment If you use additional resources, cite and reference them according to General Format Requirement for

Undergraduate Student Paper

10. Note: students are not allowed to make up for any course assignments after the deadline. It is students responsibility to find out what they have missed if they are absent from lectures. Being absent does not excuse them from tests or tasks on the day they return.

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Main course book:

1. MacKenzie, I. (2010).English for Business Studies. Third edition. Students book. CUP References

1. Powell, M. (2004). New Business Matters. Thomson. 2. Powell, M.(1999). Presenting in English. LTP 3. Oxford Business English Dictionary. (2006). OUP 4. Cotton, D. (2002).Market Leader. Upper Intermediate. Longman 5. Dubicka I., OKeeffe M. (2007). Market Leader. Advanced. Pearson. Longman 6. Emmerson, P. (2002).Business Grammar Builder. Macmillan Education 7. Emmerson P. (2009). Business Vocabulary Builder. Macmillan. 8. Emmerson P. (2007). Business English Handbook. Advanced. Macmillan. 9. Mascull, B. (2002). Business Vocabulary in Use. Intermediate. CUP 10. Mascull, B. (2004). Business Vocabulary in Use. Advanced. CUP

Role of the subject in reaching learning outcomes of Business Management and Analytics programme

Special learning outcomes Subject Learning

Outcome

S1. To analyze a company or an organization as an integral unit, which strives for certain goals in a

market or social environment by effectively distributing their finite resources among objects and

business activities and obtains synergies from coordinated function planning, organization and

management;

S2. To forecast the influence of economic and financial decisions not only in a financial context, but

also in the wider context of business or organization management, to estimate the effect of

economic and financial decisions on the processes of a company or an organization, the motivation

of companys human resources, product and service quality, customer satisfaction, brand strength,

corporate social responsibility;

S3. To select and to apply in practice organizational theories and models;

S4. To identify new possibilities in national and international markets, to foresee, to analyze and to

assess target markets, their potential, to adapt the old products and services and to develop the new

ones for these markets, to communicate effectively ones proposals to the market;

S5. To describe and to analyze financial management and financial decision making processes in

companies and other organizations, to solve problems of different levels of complexity in financial

and management accounting ;

S6. To describe the main economic theories and theoretical models, to adapt them to the theoretical

and practical issues (for example, demand and supply elasticity theory, economic cycles, classical

economic theory, Keynesianism, monetarism, rational expectations theory, cost-benefit analysis);

S7. To analyze economic, legal, political and social environment of companies and other

organizations; to identify and to evaluate internal and external changes and to make necessary

decisions to keep the firms or organizations economic and financial stability;

S8. To plan and to organize manufacturing, service provision and other companys business

processes in short and long term, in national and international markets;

S9. To name the main principles of business law and to be able to analyze simple cases in business

law.

S10. To explain the corporate social responsibility and to be able to apply its principles in practice for

a company operating in a local as well as international markets.

S11. To select adequate research methods for the companys internal and external analysis and to

conduct individually simple research of internal and external environment (to collect, to organize and

to interpret data, based on them to make managerial decisions).

S12. To name the main principles of strategic planning and management, to be able to analyze in

practice the strategic alternatives based on the companys or organizations competitive environment

and its resources, to create an outline of a strategic plan and to foresee tactical actions to implement

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the strategy.

General learning outcomes

G1. To apply modern information technologies in the data gathering, analysis and communication;

SLO 1; SLO 2;

SLO 3; SLO 4;

SLO 5

G2. To apply calculations, modelling, optimisation and statistical analysis skills for analysis of

managerial and economical programmes

G3. To apply a systematic, critical and constructive thinking in problem identification and solving; SLO 5

G4. To communicate well and express thoughts in writing and orally, both in English and native

language; to communicate with specialists and non-professional audiences;

SLO 3; SLO 4; SLO 5

G5. To prepare research papers according to proper language, writing style and general

bibliographic citation requirements;

G6. To develop independent learning skills necessary to continue studies on a higher level; SLO 1; SLO 2; SLO 3

G7. To communicate and to work effectively in an intercultural and interdisciplinary group or team. SLO 4; SLO 5

G8. To know and to apply in practice certain aspects of various social sciences (history, geography,

sociology, logics, philosophy, arts, etc.), to supplement effectively the education of business or

economics by general knowledge.

SLO 1; SLO 3; SLO 5