2020/2021

English for Business Purposes. Advanced Course - 1

Type: Optional course

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

When: 1, 2 module

Instructors: Ильченко Ольга Алексеевна, Григорова Наталья Сергеевна, Ткаленко Дмитрий Эдуардович, Дымова Елена Евгеньевна, Yuliya Antonova, Anton Arhipov, Oxana Demchenkova, Elena Anatolyevna Dolgushina, Alla A. Efimova, Irena Fadeeva, lutsiya Rasikhovna Fattakhova, Anastasia Gavrilina, Konstantin Khomutskii, Alina Kuznetsova, Anna Likhacheva, Lubov' Nikolaevna Maslova, Natalia Mishustina, Natalia Perepechkina, Anna Popova, Natalia Pripolzina, Veronika Repnikova, Lyudmila Yuryevna Rokotyanskaya, Tatiana Shikhalkina, Tatiana Sungurova, Andrei Tulum, Медведева Екатерина Павловна

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 56

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The discipline refers to the variable educational tracks offered to students of the curricula for bachelor's and master's degree at choice while mastering the optional course of English in accordance with the Concept of developing English-speaking communicative competence of students of Higher School of Economics — National Research University https://www.hse.ru/docs/381549301.html The course is designed to introduce the students to the language of business, specifically to the peculiarities of building effective business communications. The course offers practical training in functional business skills such as presentations, negotiations, meeting facilitation, and brainstorming, allowing for personalization of the learning experience with a structured modular approach that gives the flexibility to focus on specific needs and learning outcomes.

Learning Objectives

• The course focuses on introducing students to the general vocabulary of work-place English and the main language functions and is aimed at acquiring language mastery relevant to common business communication areas, such as professional development and managing change. To build the basic skills of argumentative communication in English and successful representation of intentions and results to ensure the maximum range and authenticity of business content. To acquire the basic skills of business communication (structural elements, business register peculiarities, essential business vocabulary) within multiple touchpoints from which to explore the possibilities of use of any given language skill. To master presentation agility and fluency with the various skills, practical training in functional business areas such as presentations, negotiations, meeting facilitation, and brainstorming. . To apply BC skills to the specific subject area of International Affairs, from business conversations in the workplace, to negotiations and presentation skills .

Expected Learning Outcomes

• To improve skills of writing summaries
• To develop skills of participating in debates (active listening, questioning, responding to questions, emphasizing, discussion strategies)
• To develop skills in writing e-mails (business correspondence)
• To develop skills of participating in dialogue on general, academic, and professional topics. (active listening, questioning, responding to questions, emphasizing, discussion strategies)
• To develop skills in delivering a monologue: informative/descriptive/reasoning
• To develop skills of writing emails.
• To develop understanding of specialised complex longer texts*/articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems (CEFR)
• To develop skills in delivering a monologue (informative/descriptive/reasoning)
• To develop skills in giving a presentation (can give reasons in support or against a particular point of view, give the advantages and disadvantages of various opinions) - optional
• To form understanding of text structure
• To develop skills of using basic reading techniques skimming and scanning (predicting, understanding main ideas, understanding details)
• To develop skills of using basic listening techniques (predicting, understanding main ideas and details)
• To form skills of note-taking
• To improve understanding of dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
• To develop skills in writing essays (opinion, discussion)
• To develop understanding of lectures and learning context

Course Contents

• Market research
  Market research methods. Working with a focus group. Communication skills: Carrying out a needs analysis. Business skills: Dealing with questions. Writing: Reports - Summary findings. Business workshop: Improving the image.
• Give and take
  Manager or mentor? Kindness or success? Communication skills: Changing an agreement. Business skills: Collaboration. Writing: Emails - Stating requirements. Business workshop: To try to see it my way.
• Money matters
  Mobile banking. Managing money. Communication skills^ Presentation styles, Bussiness skills^ Defending your ideas. Writing: Letter of complaint. Business workshop: managing your money.

Assessment Elements

• Written assessment
  SUMMARY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA max 10 points TASK RESPONSE: 3 - All key points are mentioned; 2 - Most key points are mentioned and/or some crucial supporting information is omitted and/or the author’s ideas are partly reflected; 1- Very few key points are mentioned and/or little supporting information is provided and/or very few of the author’s ideas are mentioned, 0 - Only the topic is mentioned and/or no supporting information is provided and/or the author’s ideas are not reflected. VOCABULARY: 3 – Without mistakes; 2 - The original expressions are paraphrased. A wide range of vocabulary is used. 1-2 lexical mistakes are made; 1 - The original expressions are partly paraphrased and/or an adequate range of vocabulary is used and/or 3-4 lexical mistakes are made; 0 - The original expressions are copied and/or a limited range of vocabulary is used and/or more than 4 lexical mistakes are made. GRAMMAR: 3 – Without mistakes; 2 - A variety of complex grammar structures is used. No more than 1 punctuation and/or 1-2 grammar mistakes are made; 1 - An attempt to use complex grammar structures is made and/or 3-4 grammar mistakes are made; 0 - Elementary grammar structures are used and/or more than 4 grammar mistakes are made. STRUCTURE: 3 - The text is logically organized. A wide range of transitions is used appropriately; 2 - The text is mostly logically organized and/or an adequate range of transitions is used; 1 - The text may have serious breaches in logic and/or transitions may be over- or underused; 0 - There is no sequence of ideas and/or transitions are used inappropriately or not used at all.
• Oral assessment
  Oral assessment includes a monologue on a given topic, a dialogue and a presentation. The elements of oral assessment cannot be retaken
• 0.20 oral proficiency tests
• Final assessment
  The final test is held in class within 10 days before the exam period online on Zoom or MS Teams platforms. Students must log in using their first name and surname. If a student connects to the videoconferencing session late, the time allocated for the element of assessment may be extended at the examiner’s discretion (p. 34 of Regulations for Interim and Ongoing Assessments of Students at National Research University Higher School of Economics). The exam is conducted in written form online, remotely without proctoring. Taking a break during the Exam is not allowed. To take the exam, a student should: check the operation of the webcam, microphone, headphones or speakers, the speed of the Internet (for the best results, it is recommended to connect the computer to the network via a cable); prepare the necessary items for the exam tasks (pens, A4 paper for a draft); disable other applications in the task manager of the computer, except for the platform (Zoom or MS Teams). The student provides the necessary conditions for the exam: • sufficient level of illumination; • low noise level; • absence of interference with video and audio signal transmission; • a fully operational webcam (including built-in laptop cameras); • a fully operational microphone (including built-in laptop cameras); • a permanent and stable Internet connection with a data transfer rate of at least 5 Mbps. During the writing part of the exam, it is prohibited to: • turn off the webcam and microphone, reduce its level of sensitivity to sound; • use auto-correct functions, notes, textbooks, other educational materials; • leave the desk area during the Exam (leave the visibility zone of the webcam); • use headphones, headsets for any other reason than to complete the Listening section of the exam; • use “smart” gadgets (smartphone, tablet, etc.); • involve another person to help with the Exam, talk with another person during the Exam; • read tasks out loud; In the event of a long-term communication failure with the Zoom or MS Teams platform during the exam, the student must record the fact of the loss of communication with the platform (take a screenshot/photograph of the entire screen so that the time and the application/web browser window are visible, get a response from the Internet provider) and report the problem to the office of the student’s Program and to the teacher (in one email). Note: According to part33 of Regulations for Interim and Ongoing Assessments of Students at National Research University Higher School of Economics «…. The use of materials not permitted by this list, attempts to communicate with other students or other individuals (e.g., through electronic means of communication), unauthorized movement in the examination room, having electronic means of communication that are not allowed by the teacher, intended disconnection from the video conference or switching browser tab, when it is clear that the teacher forbids the action, and other violations of examination procedure constitute ground for the end of exam for the particular student (student’s removal from the examination room, disconnection from the videoconference, etc.) with a subsequent “0” grade in the examination grade column.
• Independent work assessment
  Independent work includes activities that students do at home, in the classroom and online work. The elements of independent work cannot be retaken.

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (2 module)
  0.3 * Final assessment + 0.25 * Independent work assessment + 0.2 * Oral assessment + 0.25 * Written assessment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• English for business studies : a course for business studies and economics students: student's book, MacKenzie, I., 1997

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Financial English with mini-dictionary of finance, MacKenzie, I., 2000
• Management and marketing with mini-dictionary, MacKenzie, I., 1997
• Стогниева О. Н. - АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК ДЛЯ ЭКОНОМИСТОВ (B1–B2). ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. Учебное пособие для академического бакалавриата - М.:Издательство Юрайт - 2019 - 197с. - ISBN: 978-5-534-10008-2 - Текст электронный // ЭБС ЮРАЙТ - URL: https://urait.ru/book/angliyskiy-yazyk-dlya-ekonomistov-b1-b2-english-for-business-studies-in-higher-education-429129