Guía Docente 2023-24
ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS I

BASIC DETAILS:

Subject: ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS I
Id.: 30400
Programme: GRADUADO EN ADMINISTRACIÓN Y DIRECCIÓN DE EMPRESAS (BOE 26/11/2010)
Module: MÓDULO TRANSVERSAL
Subject type: MATERIA BASICA
Year: 1 Teaching period: Segundo Cuatrimestre
Credits: 6 Total hours: 150
Classroom activities: 64 Individual study: 86
Main teaching language: Inglés Secondary teaching language: Castellano
Lecturer: Email:

PRESENTATION:

English for Business I is a transversal subject in the Business Administration degree programme, therefore, the topics covered will be directly related to other subjects you are studying in the degree programme. The topics of the course focus on four key areas in Business Administration: Business Organisation; Marketing; Management and Human Resources and Economics. You will study these topics through an interactive and communicative approach involving Project Based Learning.The objective of this course is to develop confidence and fluency using English in business related contexts with a clear focus on the four main study skills: reading and listening comprehension of business related texts, writing practice with business related topics and oral communication within business settings.

Class participation is essential and you are expected to participate actively in class in order to improve your oral communication skills, listening comprehension, reading and writing skills. Classes will be interactive and consist of projects centered around the four key topics with a specific focus on pair and group work and learning how to use the specific English skills you will need for other subjects taught through English and for your future profession. You will be required to carry out group projects and present findings to the class in the same way you would be required to do when working in a real business environment. Throughout the course you will be encouraged to expand your business English vocabulary considerably.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES ACQUIRED IN THE SUBJECT:

General programme competences G01 Ability to analyse and summarise information from several sources.
G02 Creative and efficient resolution of problems that arise in day-to-day, in order to ensure the highest levels of quality of professional work.
G03 Ability to organise and plan the work in the context of continuous improvement
G04 Use of information and communication technologies
G05 Ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams, integrating and participating in scientific and professional teamwork, contributing ideas and respecting and valuing the diversity of views of other team members.
G06 Ability to incorporate ethical principles into the professional culture, giving priority to ethical commitment to customers and society.
G07 Ability to work in an international context and innovate and adopt new approaches used in other national contexts.
G09 Oral and written communication in English in academic and professional contexts.
G10 Ability to apply the acquired knowledge, adapting it to the needs and special features of each situation and person.
G11 Ability to come up with new ideas (creativity).
G13 Ability to develop learning strategies throughout life to be able to acquire new knowledge, by developing their own academic and professional path.
G14 Oral and written communication in native language and in English, according to the needs of their field of study and the demands of their academic and professional environment.
G15 Ability to establish and meet the most appropriate quality criteria and apply methodologies and work strategies geared towards continuous improvement.
G16 Ability to assimilate concepts of a social and humanistic nature into a comprehensive university education to enable the development of ethical values such as solidarity, multiculturalism, equality, commitment, respect, diversity, integrity, etc.
Specific programme competences E01 Understand the specific aspects of the operation, management and control of the different functional areas of the company.
E02 Know and understand the local, national and international socio-economic context in which the companies operate and be able to interpret its impact on them.
E03 Ability to apply the acquired knowledge of the functional areas of the company and the socio-economic environment.
E04 Ability to identify related variables and understand their impact on business organisations.
E09 Appreciate how the domestic and international financial markets operate.
E13 Know the decision making processes in terms of policy and business strategy.
E14 Understand the principles of business ethics and be able to design scenarios in which these principles can be put into business practice.
E15 Propose, plan and lead business innovation projects that ensure the competitiveness of the company.
Learning outcomes R1 Communicate effectively in English in a business environment
R2 Use a larger variety of business vocabulary and expressions
R3 Feel more comfortable speaking, reading and writing in English
R4 Analyze and debate current business topics using the English language

PRE-REQUISITES:

Students enrolling on this course should preferably have a B1 level in English. Those students with a lower level should try their best to reach the required level by enrolling in courses provided by ILM, other centres or their own private study. Please consult your lecturer in tutorial sessions regarding what you can do to improve your language skills.

SUBJECT PROGRAMME:

Observations:


The course will cover several basic, important areas for the future Business professional: "People" will be aimed at developing the necessary skills to apply for a job, "Company Law" and "Contracts" cover the law related to Business Management whereas "Marketing" underlines the key concepts in relation to Marketing applied to the Business field.

Subject contents:

1 - People
    1.1 - People at work
    1.2 - CV and cover letter
2 - Company law
    2.1 - Setting up a business
    2.2 - Product development
3 - Contracts
    3.1 - Buying and selling goods and services
    3.2 - Contract law
4 - Marketing
    4.1 - Introduction to Marketing
    4.2 - Brands
    4.3 - Online marketing
    4.4 - Advertising

Subject planning could be modified due unforeseen circumstances (group performance, availability of resources, changes to academic calendar etc.) and should not, therefore, be considered to be definitive.


TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODOLOGIES AND ACTIVITIES:

Teaching and learning methodologies and activities applied:

Classes are conducted exclusively through English. Students are expected to participate in class and in all class-related activities in English. Although this may be difficult for students at the beginning of the course, their linguistic competence will improve rapidly through active participation. Classes are practical and communicative. Many class activities will be conducted in pairs and groups in the format of information gaps, project preparation, problem solving, simulations, presentations, etc. This approach enables maximum student participation and talking time in class. It also encourages cooperative learning and meaningful interaction between students and the development of professional competences.

Tutorials

Students are encouraged to avail of tutorial sessions as during these sessions, students can ask questions, clarify concepts, ask for additional bibliography, etc. Some tutorial time will be devoted to assistance with group work. Your lecturer will inform you about tutorial times.

Participation:


Because English class is the only place where you can practice listening and speaking, class attendance is crucial. Class activities are carried out entirely in English. You are expected to participate actively in class. Since one of the course objectives is to help students to interact in everyday situations in English, actual communication in the classroom will be emphasized. It is extremely important that you come well prepared to class. For the most part, grammar should be studied at home; a small percentage of class time is intended for grammar instruction and practice. Group exercises will be done in class to incorporate the new grammatical concepts learned. If you have doubts or questions, these exercises may be discussed, or on a limited basis, reviewed in class. In addition, always remember to consult the teacher during office hours (or by appointment) when you are having trouble. The teacher will be happy to help you and will assign you specific exercises.

Academic expectations:
San Jorge University and the Institute of Modern Languages maintain a high standard of academic integrity among its faculty members and students. In becoming part of the San Jorge University academic community, you are responsible for honesty and independent work. Any student who takes part in any act of academic fraud will be seriously taken into account and his/ her grade will be considerably reduced. Dishonesty and/ or plagiarism includes, for example: using another person’s ideas without referencing appropriately; inventing a bibliographical reference or pretending to have consulted one; inventing research results without having done the research, etc. This inappropriate behaviour will be considered especially in relation to texts copied from Internet. ALL work must be your own work, without the help of others. Writing that may primarily be someone else’s work will not be
accepted. To clarify what kind of help is permitted, refer to the following list.


YOU MAY:
• Consult with your teacher during office hours.
• Write notes or questions on your drafts about particular doubts or problems with expressions that you may have.
• Consult dictionaries and grammar reference sources.


YOU MAY NOT:
• Give in a composition that translates your writing from Spanish to English.
• Use automatic translation devices from Internet or other sources (machine translation is easily identifiable).
• Copy and paste, also known as plagiarism. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will automatically result in failure (no second chances given!). It only takes one act of academic dishonesty to fail the entire course.


Courtesy: Everyone will be encouraged to participate in class and it is essential that full courtesy is awarded to your classmates. Intentional class disturbances (for example: using instant messenger programmes, keeping your mobile phone on in class, accepting a phone call during class, text messaging or listening to personal audio) will result in a penalty of absence from the class for those involved in the distracting behaviour. As a courtesy to your teacher and to your classmates, please make sure at the beginning of each class period that your mobile phones are turned off.

Assignments:

All assignments must be typed and sent on word documents. Double space your assignments and use Times New Roman size 12 and upload on time. Late or handwritten work will not be accepted. All files must include the student’s full name followed by a hyphen and the title of the task. In order to be able to do the final exam students must have handed in 100% of the written homework before that date.

Student work load:

Teaching mode Teaching methods Estimated hours
Classroom activities
Master classes 20
Practical exercises 8
Debates 3
Coursework presentations 8
Films, videos, documentaries etc. 2
Workshops 14
Assessment activities 7
Extra-curricular activities (visits, conferences, etc.) 2
Completing written tests 0
Individual study
Tutorials 7
Individual study 20
Individual coursework preparation 20
Group cousework preparation 8
Research work 7
Compulsory reading 6
Other individual study activities 18
Total hours: 150

ASSESSMENT SCHEME:

Calculation of final mark:

Written tests: 25 %
Final exam: 35 %
Individual coursework (Evaluated task 1): 10 %
Individual coursework (Evaluated task 2): 10 %
Group coursework (presentation 1): 10 %
Group coursework (presentation 2): 10 %
TOTAL 100 %

*Las observaciones específicas sobre el sistema de evaluación serán comunicadas por escrito a los alumnos al inicio de la materia.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND DOCUMENTATION:

Basic bibliography:

COTTON, David, FALVEY, David, KENT, Simon. Market Leader. Intermediate. Essex: Pearson Longman, 2012.
ROBERTS, Mark. English for Economics in Higher Education. Reading: Garnet Publishing,2012.
BIRKEN, Jonathan.Business Advantage Intermediate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
ROGERS, John. Intermediate Market Leader Business English Practice File. Essex: Pearson Longman, 2010.
MOL, Hans, COLLIE Joanne. Business update level 2. Garnet, 2013

Recommended bibliography:

MASCULL, Bill. Business Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
ROBBINS, Sue. Collins Cobuild Business Vocabulary in Practice. Collins Cobuild, 2006.
TRAPPE, Tonya. Intelligent Business. Intermediate. Pearson Longman, 2012.
EMMERSON, Paul. Email English, Macmillan, 2004.
EMMERSON, Paul. Business Vocabulary Builder. Macmillan, 2009.
STRUTT, Peter. Market Leader Essential Business Grammar and Usage. Harlow: Pearson Longman, 2010.
O'DRISCOLL, Nina. Market Leader Marketing. Harlow: Pearson Longman, 2010.
ROBERTS, Mark. English for Economics in Higher Education. Reading: Garnet Publishing,2012.
BIRKEN, Jonathan.Business Advantage Intermediate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Recommended websites:

BBC Business English http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/
Business English exercises http://www.better-english.com/exerciselist.html
Podcasts Business English http://www.china232.com/business_english/podcasts.php
Business English Pods https://www.youtube.com/user/bizpod?gl=GB
Business English exercises http://www.nonstopenglish.com/allexercises/business_english/
Vocabulary for Business English http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/A-business-english-contents.html


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