Business English
Release Date: 2017-09-21Basic Information
1. Course Type: Compulsory Course
2. Class Hour: 54 (45 minutes each class hour)
3. Credit: 3 credits
4. Suitable for: Graduate Students of Finance
Course Introduction
This course covers the following 8 units: globalization; brand, employment, organization, money, leadership, business ethics and innovation. Each unit will train the students' skills of English listening, speaking, reading, and writing by talking about one central topic, and realizes the ability cultivation from following 7 steps: (1) Launch brain-storming discussion based on the topic itself; (2) Introduce the business terms and theories that related to the topic; (3) Listen to the audio related to the topic: (4) Read the texts and magazines related to the topic; (5) Watch the video related to the topic; (6) Introduce case related to the topic and let the students analyze and make it into powerpoint; (7) Students make English presentation about the case.
Course Objectives
This course is compulsory course that aims at enhancing students' business English communication skills, the reading skills about the economic and financial materials and the ability to understand the business across different cultures. This course wants to cultivate the students' skills of business English reading through reading the texts and economic magazines and papers; cultivate the listening skills through listening to the business conversation and lecturers under real circumstances, and watching the videos about the lecturers which are given by business leaders and business conversation; cultivate the skills of business English speaking and writing through case study and team presentation; cultivate the students' ability of using English to introduce cases, analyze and solve problems and illustrate the solutions; let the students understand the basic concept in business English and business culture, and broaden students' global view through studying the economic and financial terms.
Outline of Course Content
Introduction
1. About the Course and requirements
2. About Scoring and Attendance
3. About Case Study and PPT Presentation
4. About the Final Test
5. Students' Self-introduction and Questions about the course
Unit 1 Globalization
1．Discussion: Your views on Globalization
2．Listening: For and Against Globalization
3．Business Briefing: Free movement of capital, trade liberalization, shipping cost, telecommunication cost, shared resources and expertise, cross cultural issues
4．Reading: 1) Flight plan from Seattle, 2)Building Great Walls from The Economist
5．Video: Globalization for Telecommunication Companies
6．Case Study: Fortune Garments-- solve the problems of a global company
Unit 2 Brands
1．Discussion: Your favorite brands, the advantages of brands, world top brands
2．Listening: What is branding?
3．Business Briefing: brand managers; marketing orientation, marketing—product, price, place and promotion; up-market vs down-market; profit margin; price war; distribution channels,
4．Reading: Fashion Victim Fights Back
5．Video: Building Brands—Virgin Group Ltd. Cable & Wireless
6．Case Study: Caferoma, solve the problems of a leading coffee brand
Unit 3 Employment
1．Discussion: Important factors for getting a job
2．Listening: Recruitment interview
3．Business Briefing: Recruitment; Payment system; Performance Appraisal Reviews, Training; Incentive schemes, Complaints and Disputes
4．Reading: 1) How to Select the Best Candidates—and Avoid the Worst; 2) Great Mismatch from The Economist
5．Video: Managing People
6．Case Study: Slim Gyms' Recruitment-- Choose the best candidate for the job of general manager
Unit 4 Organization
1．Discussion: factors showing an individual's status in an organization
2．Listening: A new office Complex
3．Business Briefing: Types of Companies; Company Structure
4．Reading: Pioneer Preaches Flexibility While Her Firm Cleans Up
5．Video: Apple Corporate Culture
6．Case Study: Faredeal Travel Agency: Reorganize the structure, Layout and working practices of a travel company
Unit 5 Money
1．Discussion: Quiz on attitude towards money
2．Listening: Bank Director talks about the important factor to decide a loan.
3．Business Briefing: Return on investment—deposit, interest, loans, bonds, capital gain, dividends, venture capital; Financial Institutions—banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, pension funds; Money Markets—current markets, stock markets, and commodity markets.
4．Reading: 1) The South Sea Bublle 2) Tulipomania 3) The Wall Street Crash
5．Video: Stocks and bonds
6．Case Study: Angel Investment-- Raise money to finance a new invention
Unit 6 Business ethics
1．Discussion: The Purpose of a Business; Unethical Behaviors
2．Listening: A Code of Ethics
3．Business Briefing: Bribery and Corruption; The Corporation as Good Citizen; The Treatment of Employees
4．Reading: Battling Big Tobacco
5．Video: Corporate Responsibility
6．Case Study: Profit or Principle?
Unit 7 Leadership
1．Discussion: What makes a great leader? What makes a bad boss? What is the difference between a manager and a leader?
2．Listening: Running a large company: CEO of the media group Pearson plc talk about How.
3．Business Briefing: Qualities of a Leader for Successful Companies or for Failing Companies
4．Reading: CEO of Coca-Cola: Douglas Ivester,
5．Video: Leadership
6．Case Study: Orbit Records—A Change of Leadership
Unit 8 Innovation
1．Discussion: Talk about Edison, Kellogg, Benz, Apple, Otis, Google, Amazon.com, or Anything you think that is innovative. Do you know any Strange Inventions?
2．Listening: Presentation Techniques
3．Business Briefing: Research and Development, Lead-times, Product launch, global rollout, media coverage, leading edge, recall products, design defects,
4．Reading: Why the last shall be first?
5．Video: Innovation
6．Case Study: International Leatherware: Innovative Designs At ILA awards
Class Hour Distribution
Text book
1.Teaching Material
[1] David Cotton, David Falvey, Simon Kent. Experience business English (Integrated Course 3)Market Leader: Course Book 3. Beijing：High Education Press, 2009
2. Other Materials
[1].Helena Gomm, Richard Crowe, Pamela Pickford, Rosi Jillett.Experience business English audio-visual Market Leader: Video Resource Book. Beijing：High Education Press, 2006.
3. Recommended journal
[1] The Economist, topics relate to the course from 2010-2014
4. Website
u http://www.emgmkts.com
u http://www.fortune.com
u http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/
u http://asia.wsj.com/home-page
u http://www.economistasia.com/google/publications/
Course requirements and grading:
Grading Policy: Your grade for the course will be calculated as follows:
Regular Homework and Class Participation 40%
Final Exam 60%
Attendance: Regular attendance is an important requirement for successful performance in this course. If a student repeatedly misses classes, question will be raised with the administration and suggest the student withdraws from the course.
Homework problems: problem sets will be assigned regularly. All of the students will get a chance to present your homework solutions in class. At this point, it is not as important to have a correct solution as it is to demonstrate that you have worked on your homework seriously. Please, start looking at problems on right away so that you can ask for help if you need it. In addition to my office hours and email, you can use the homework discussion board on Blackboard for homework help. Your homework problems will help you to understand the material and to systematically prepare for exams.