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2013/2014  BA-HA_R73  English Skills for Business Students

English Title
English Skills for Business Students

Course information
Language English
Exam ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn, Spring, Fourth Quarter
Wednesday Teaching, 13.30-14.15, week 36-41, 43-46
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Max. participants 30
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Alex Klinge - Department of International Business Communication (IBC)
  • Spencer Shaw - Department of International Business Communication (IBC)
Secretary - Tine Silfvander- ts.iadh@cbs.dk
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Language and Intercultural Studies
Last updated on 15-04-2013
Learning objectives
Special attention is given to the cultivation of Interpersonal and intercultural skills. The aim is to improve fluency in English communication, socially and commercially, by formalising the mastery of both spoken and written argumentation.
Objectives:
  • To be able to follow lectures and discussions on familiar subject matters presented in a straightforward fashion
  • Understand the main ideas of complex speech on both concrete and abstract topics delivered in a standard dialect, including technical discussions in the student’s own field of specialisation
  • To read and understand articles and reports on current problems in which the writers express specific attitudes and points of view
  • To understand in detail texts within student’s own field of interest or academic/professional speciality
  • To initiate, maintain and end dialogues with effective turn taking and engage in extended conversation in a clear, participatory fashion on general topics
  • To give clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects
  • To explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options
  • To have sufficient vocabulary to express oneself connected to academic field and general topics
  • To communicate with reasonable accuracy and correct mistakes if they have led to misunderstandings
  • To write clear and detailed texts (compositions, reports or texts of presentation) on various topics related to student’s field of interest
  • To write summaries from different sources and media
  • To develop an argument systematically in a composition or report, emphasizing decisive points and including supporting details
Course prerequisites
The course is only open to intermediate level (minimum B1) non-native speakers of English. It is not possible to register for both HR73 and HR 75 in the same semester and it is not possible to register for HR73 if you have previously taken HR75.
This course starts at the B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference and works toward achievement at the C1 level.
Examination
4 hour written sit-in exam:
Examination form Written sit-in exam
Individual or group exam Individual
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 4 hours
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Autumn Term and Spring Term
Aids allowed to bring to the exam Closed Book: no aids
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If the number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination warrants that it may most appropriately be held as an oral examination, the programme office will inform the students that the make-up examination/re-take examination will be held as an oral examination instead.
Description of the exam procedure

There are no dictionaries or exam aids allowed. The exam is PC-based with no internet access. The exam comprises 4 questions. Three questions are based on a written text where the answer is formatted either as a business report, business letter, summary and critique, or case study presentation. The first question is a grammar question comprising multiple choice, punctuation and rewriting.
Course content and structure
The course will focus on developing skills in:
• Effective reading
• Academic and business writing
• English as an International Language
• Oral communication for business meetings and presentations
Teaching methods
The course comprises lectures in various aspects of communication, rhetoric and general business skills. Attention is especially paid to competency in language skills. These include formal and business language, idiomatic language, and business voabulary. Grammar is reviewed at an intermediate and advanced level, focusing on phrasal verbs, collocations, prepositions and rewriting. Written skills include summaries and critiques where students write essays which are evaluated and given feedback during class. Exercises in grammar are given as homework and reviewed a week later. There is also an opportunity to give class presentations on pre-given case studies both in groups and individually.
Expected literature

Sources for Course Literature:
Market Leader Course Book. D. Cotton, S. Falvey and S. Kent (Longman 2000)
Human Communication in Society. J. Alberts, T. Nakayama, J. Martin. (Allyn & Bacon 2010)
Business Grammar Builder. P. Emmerson (Macmillan 2002)
The Business Communication Handbook.  J. Dwyer. (Prentice Hall 2003)
Competitive Communication. B. Eckhouse. (Oxford University Press 1999)
Academic Writing. L. Bjørk & C. Raisanen  (Studentlitteratur Lund 1997)
Essentials of Contemporary Advertising. W. Arens, D. Schaefer, M. Weigold. (McGraw Hill 2009)
Communicating for Managerial Effectiveness. P. G. Clampitt (Sage 2010)
Leadership: Oxford Management Readers. Ed. K. Grint. art. J. Gastil ( Oxford University Press 1997)
 
Last updated on 15-04-2013