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BTAN25012BA
Listening and Speaking in Business English
Skills in Business English
Fall 2015
Instructor: Erika Mikó
Time: Monday 16:00-17:40
Place: Room 121
Email: erika.miko.29@gmail.com
Office: Main Building, Room 116/1
Office hours: Tue 12-13; Wed 10-11 or by appointment
Description of the course:
This course offers an insight into a specific field of Professional English, and will help students to gain
appropriate knowledge of the English language used in business and economics. By offering authentic
study materials, real business life context in the classroom, this seminar will allow students to master the
basic language and concept of business and economics, and will also help students to develop their
comprehension of business texts, their speaking and listening skills in a number of professional and
occupational contexts. The course intends to prepare students for prospective jobs and positions, thus help
them meet the growing demands from various occupational sectors.
Topics on the agenda will include the most important areas of business and economics, such as
management, production, marketing, human resources, finances, business law, etc.
Course requirements:
Students’ work will be assessed on the strength of their oral performance (in-class discussions, role-plays,
press conference, interpreting, etc.), test papers on relevant vocabulary and discourse, a short 5-7-minute
presentation on a pre-approved topic, a short response paper, as well as a team project work and
presentation of max. 15 minutes. The course will conclude with an end-term examination.
Short response paper: students are required to choose a newspaper or magazine articles related to the
world of business, and prepare a short response paper based on it reflecting on the issue at hand, offering
thoughtful ideas and opinion. N.B. The paper is NOT supposed to be the mere summary of the article.
Evaluation
The final grade will be calculated from the grades assigned on test papers (30%), presentation (20%), a
short response paper (20%), and team project work (30%). More than three absences will result in a
“not fulfilled” grade. Grades will be assigned according to the following conversion formulae: 0-60% = fail;
61-70% = satisfactory; 71-80% = average; 81-90% = good; 91-100% = excellent.
Further Rules
It is an essential part of the course requirements to attend all class meetings. If you must miss a class
because of illness or emergency, please let me know, and make arrangements to complete any work missed.
Students may not miss more than three classes under any circumstances. Students are kindly requested to
contact their tutor at least a day before class if they are to make a presentation but cannot attend. If you do
not turn up on occasions when course assignments (presentation, response papers, team project work) and
tests are due and you fail to notify the tutor you will lose all the credit points on the particular assignment.
Readings:
Ian Mackenzie. English for Business Studies. A Course for Business and Economics Students.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. (scanned)
Tricia Smith. Market Leader. Business Law. London: Longman and Pearson, 2001.
A Robin Widdowson. Market Leader. Business Law. London: Longman and Pearson, 2010.
Miscellaneous additional texts and resources, i.e. Financial Times, The Economist, Business
Weekly, etc.
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Schedule of Classes and Topics
Week 1 (Sept. 14): Orientation
Week 2 (Sept. 21): Basics of Economics: Sectors of the Economy, What Causes the Business Cycle, the
Business Plan (Units 7, 15, 23 in EBS)
Homework: Reading and Vocabulary: ‘A Business Plan’ on pp. 78-79 in Unit 15; and ‘What Causes the
Business Cycle’ on pp.114-115 in Unit 23.
Presentation: from rags-to-riches business successes
In-class activity: mock business meeting (launching a new company branch: the to do list)
Week 3 (Sept.28): Management and Company Structure (Units 1-3 in EBS)
Homework: Reading: ‘What is Management?’ on p. 12 in Unit 1 and Vocabulary 1-2 on p. 13 in Unit 1;
Reading: ‘Theory X, Theory Y’ on p. 16 in Unit 2; ‘Company Structure’ on pp. 22-23 in Unit 3.
Presentation: different forms of business associations, members of the management
In-class activity: interview
Week 4 (Oct. 5): The Personal Dimension: Human Resources and Recruitment (Units 5-6 in EBS)
Homework: Readings: ‘Filling a Vacancy’ on pp. 30-31 in Unit 5 and ‘You’re Fired!’ on pp. 39-40 in Unit
6.
Presentation: affirmative action and PC in business and at work, Dos and Don’ts of writing a CV
In-class activity: a job interview and a role play on p. 41
Week 5 (Oct. 12): On Sale: Marketing and Advertising (Units 12-13 in EBS)
Homework: Reading: ‘Marketing is Everything’ on pp. 67-68 in Unit 12, and Reading: ‘Advertising and
Viral Marketing’ on pp. 69-70 in Unit 13.
Presentation: SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, Porter’s Five Forces analysis, 4Ps, 7Ps
In-class activity: Bring your favorite commercial or ad to class!!
Week 6 (Oct. 19): Hungary and the European Union
Homework: readings to be distributed later
Presentation: Hungary’s EU story in a nutshell, EU vocabulary
In-class activity: press conference
Week 7 (Oct. 23-30): CONSULTATION WEEK
Week 8 (Nov. 2): Money Matters: Banking and Exchange Rates; the Stock Exchange, Bonds, Stocks
and Shares (Units 14, 16, 17 and 26 in EBS)
Homework: Readings: ‘Banks and Financial Institutions’ on pp. 73-74 with vocabulary exercise; ‘Stocks
and Shares’ on p. 87 in Unit 17; and Vocabulary exercise on p. 89 in Unit 17
Presentation: credit crunch, hedge funds, credit ratings (Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s, Fitch)
In-class activity: financial euronews (listening and on-the-spot interpreting)
Week 9 (Nov. 9): Money Still Matters: Accounting, Financial Statements and Taxation (Units 19, 22 in
EBS)
Homework: Reading: ‘Google Inc. Balance Sheet’ on pp. 96-97, Vocabulary exercises on p. 95-96 in Unit
19
Presentation: basic financial and tax terms
In-class activity: role play
Week 10 (Nov. 16): Business Law: Terms and Conditions, the Language of Contracts, Case Law
Report(s) (Units 14-15 in Widdowson, Business Law) and (Unit 3 in Smith, Business Law)
Homework: ‘Brussels Files Suit Over Bilateral Aviation Deals’ on p. 13 in Unit 3 from Smith, Business
Law; and “Distribution Agreement’ on p. 57 in Unit 14 from Widdowson, Business Law.
Presentation: who is who ‘on the bar’ (solicitors, attorney-at-laws, barristers, prosecutors, etc.)
In-class activity: filing a business claim
Week 11 (Nov. 23): PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Week 12 (Nov. 30): PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Week 13 (Dec. 7): End-term examination
Week 14 (Dec. 14): Evaluation