Developing Foreign Language Communicative Competence for English Business Meetings Using Business Meeting Simulations (original) (raw)
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2017
The study is aimed at investigating the use of business English in business presentation simulation at linguistics and literature study program in one public university in Bandung. The research particularly explored the use of business presentation simulations to observe how patterns of linguistic interactions among students were structured which was, as a final point, to find out whether the business presentation simulations could enhance linguistic competence and how significant the enhancement was. The research employed Interrupted Time Series design (ITS) advocated by Campbell and Stanley (2015). The data were gathered through videotaping students’ individual presentation at the beginning of, mid, and end of the semester. The students’ presentation performance was rated to yield quantitative data. To see students’ FLCC improvement from one presentation to another, t-test was administered. To enhance its validity, the videos were also transcribed, coded and analyzed using QDA Min...
The major aim of the present paper is to discuss the skills relevant in the process of communication in Business English, which prove to differ enormously from those worked on in General English courses. It also becomes evident that the intercultural component is essential and learners should not only have a chance to become familiar with the cultural information related to the language they are studying, but also possess and develop a certain degree of intercultural awareness and sensitivity since they are demanded from any businessmen communicating at the criss-cross of cultures. Last but not least, teaching Business English communicative skills is seen as a process of working creatively with the business content supplied by the students that we as teachers of English then shape in terms of its language.
2013
Living in a global village needs an ability not only to communicate or to exchange information by using global languages such as English, but also to know other cultures as we get used to getting into contact with other people from culture other than our own.Intercultural understanding simply refers to the basic ability of people to correctly recognize, interpret, and react to other people, incidences or situations that are open to misunderstanding due to different cultural background meaning that they have different life, vision, religion, ethics, norms, laws, education system etc.Dealing with English language teaching especially for the learners of business communication, it has been widely recognized that they need not just knowledge and skill in the grammar of the target language but also the ability to use the target language in socially and culturally appropriate ways.Classroom speaking activities that can be effectively used to get the goals mentioned are simulation and role-...
The Impact of Communicative Approach in Developing English Language Skill in Business Education
A completely new approach in language teaching and learning with innovative attributes was introduced as Communicative English in 1970. The same approach was launched in Bangladesh in the 90s with much enthusiasm. The new approach with all the innovative and useful blessings met criticisms both from the academicians as well as the non-academicians for the lack of grammar and translation. Everyone happens to highlight the limitations of the new approach and held it responsible as a prime hindrance to language learning. The article attempts to address problems whether Communicative English is the prime solution of the problem the country is facing or the problem lies elsewhere. The study believes that the problem is not solely with the approach but with the other related auxiliaries as well. The pedagogy, language learning and teaching strategies, teachers' role in teaching a FL/SL and necessity of teacher training, feeble infrastructures, imperfect evaluation system etc. related to and responsible for the problem apart from the methodology of English language teaching and learning are held responsible for the failure of the approach. In the light of the above-mentioned problems, the study proposes how the innovative and unfamiliar contents and technique can be made operative as an instructional method. The paper also addresses a host of solutions like developing the teaching methodology, the outlook of the teachers as well as the students and their guardians towards the new approach with its innovative contents, suggestion for an eclectic method, innovative curriculum and evaluation system, etc. which are the various suggestions proposed by the author.
Abstract—This research paper aims at exploring the views of Thai adult learners enrolling in the one-year Graduate Diploma Program in English for Business and Management (EBM), Thammasat University, on the use of business simulations in terms of their realistic nature, level of engagement, and usefulness. In addition to the learners’ views, outcomes of four different simulated meeting tasks conducted by a group of four learners were analyzed to explore how realistic patterns of interaction used in those simulations were. The hypothesis of this study is that if the learners find the simulated tasks engaging and representative of the real-world contexts, they are likely to focus on using specific and work-related language to fulfill the task purposes. In-depth interviews with a total of eight EBM students and audio-recordings of simulated meetings were the main data collection methods of this qualitative study. Discussion of the findings led to the conclusion that simulations strived to elicit the use of language which was similar to the authentic generic patterns found in the real world’ business meetings. It further pointed out that the participants believed simulations were likely to assist them in improving their use of specific language to achieve their real-world business operations.
Improving Students’ Language Skills in Business English Course: Experimental Study
Advanced Education, 2021
It is evident from the PISA 2018 results that a trend in mean performance in reading has been declining in the Slovak Republic. The KEGA Project “Idioms in Business Communication”, run at the Department of English Language, aims at improving reading literacy, widening formal and informal vocabulary and facilitating business communication. Both traditional and modern styles of language teaching are used. The control group of students does a traditional course and the experimental group of students enrols in a “Business Communication” e-course on LMS Moodle platform, as well. With the use of the Internet and supporting materials, this group is involved in various activities. The paper compares the study results of 144 first-year and 97 second-year students of the University of Economics in Bratislava achieved in departmental standardised business English tests after completing three courses in business English for advanced students. The method of Hypothesis Testing (t-Test) assesses t...
2018
Business English is a part of English for specific purposes and can be considered a specialism within English language learning and teaching. Many non-native English speakers study the subject with the goal of doing business with English-speaking countries, or with companies located outside the English-speaking world but which nonetheless use English as a shared language or lingua franca. Much of the English communication that takes place within business circles all over the world occurs between non-native speakers. In cases such as these, the object of the exercise is efficient and effective communication. The strict rules of grammar are in such cases sometimes ignored, when, for example, a stressed negotiator's only goal is to reach an agreement as quickly as possible. (See linguist Braj Kachru's theory of the "expanding circle".) Business English means different things to different people. For some, it focuses on vocabulary and topics used in the worlds of business, trade, finance, and international relations. For others it refers to the communication skills used in the workplace, and focuses on the language and skills needed for typical business communication such as presentations, negotiations, meetings, small talk, socializing, correspondence, report writing, and a systematic approach. In both of these cases it can be taught to native speakers of English, for example, high school students preparing to enter the job market. Business English is a variant of international English. One can study it at a college or university. Institutes around the world have courses or modules in BE available, which can lead to a degree in the subject.
The appropriate use of pragmatic markers – non-propositional well, you know, of course, etc. – is necessary for successful business communication (which is, for the most part, cross-cultural communication), however, pragmatic markers take a back seat in TEFL, TESL, and most notably, in TESP contexts. In our paper we will, first of all, discuss the major issues related to the concept of communicative competence as well as the role of PMs in shaping EFL and ESL speakers’ communicative competence. Next, some remarks will be made about the possible sources of the difficulties that may hinder the acquisition and/or learning of PMs, finally, the results of a case study will be presented, which aimed at mapping the functional spectrum of PMs as they are used in selected General Business English textbooks.
Breaking the Ice with Business English
Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 2014
. The pedagogical intervention presented in this paper is a practical peer-to-peer teaching method which was used to welcome and initiate students at the higher education level into a second year Business English (BE) course. The intervention is meant to be implemented during the first three or four hours of language lessons with a new class of students specializing in the creation and management of small and medium-sized business. This task-based activity is aimed at intermediate level language students in a two-year program, but the underlying principles can be adapted to all levels and all types of learners. The methodology is founded on the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and task-based approach to language teaching.