GUÍA DOCENTE

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:	68	Individual study:	82
Main teaching language:	Inglés	Secondary teaching language:	Castellano
Lecturer:	LAIRLA GONZALEZ, CLARA (T)	Email:	clairla@usj.es

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.

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 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:

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.

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 - How to do an oral presentation

3.1 - Taking part in a conference

3.2 - Reading charts, graphs and diagrams

4 - Contracts

4.1 - Buying and selling goods and services

4.2 - Contract law

5 - Marketing

5.1 - Introduction to marketing

5.2 - Brands

5.3 - Online marketing

5.4 - Viral advertising

5.5 - Marketing strategies

5.6 - Advertising campaigns

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. 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.

Because English class is the only place where you can practice listening and speaking, class attendance is crucial. 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. 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.

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.

Please, don't:
• 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.

Student work load:

Teaching mode	Teaching methods	Estimated hours
Classroom activities
	Master classes	9
	Other theory activities	5
	Practical exercises	34
	Debates	5
	Films, videos, documentaries etc.	4
	Other practical activities	6
	Assessment activities	5
Individual study
	Tutorials	1
	Individual study	20
	Individual coursework preparation	45
	Group cousework preparation	11
	Compulsory reading	5
	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	%
Oral presentation (Group Work 1):	10	%
Oral presentation (Group Work 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/
Podcasts Business English	http://www.china232.com/business_english/podcasts.php
Business English Pod	https://www.youtube.com/user/bizpod?gl=GB
Business English Vocabulary	http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/A-business-english-contents.html