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Business English

Course developer

Course abstract

The study course is aimed at the of development of students’ foreign language (English) knowledge and skills necessary for comprehending, interpreting and evaluating professional information, explaining and comparing processes, participating in discussions, giving presentations in professional and academic environments as well as for communication with foreign students, specialists and academic staff. The focus is on the terminology related to business studies and entrepreneurship. The English language proficiency level corresponds at least level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for foreign languages.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge of terminology of the industry. Students know terms from the field of:
- university education, types of business organisations, companies, entrepreneurship (Test No 1);
- labour market, job advertisements, business activities, retailing, banking, marketing, advertising (Test No 2).
Skills: students are able to define terms, select professional information, think critically, explain processes, participate in discussions applying professional terminology and communication skills: in written form - writing essays, business letters, summaries; orally - in discussions, dialogues, role plays, giving a presentation.
Competence of professional foreign language in order to apply English creatively in spoken and written communication for professional and research activities, student mobility and in academic environment.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. University education. Comparison of universities in Europe. Creating a glossary of terms in economics and business.2ha
2. Bioeconomics. Reading and interpretation of professional information.2ha
3. Types of organizations in Latvia and the UK. Translation and definition of terms.2ha
4. Advantages and disadvantages of business organizations. Setting up a business.2ha
5. Test No 1. / Tips for presentations of individual work. Phrases used in presentations. 2ha
6. Applying for a job. CV and the letter of application in the EU. 2ha
7. Skills for the labour market. The role play: a job interview. 2ha
8. Organizations. Company structure. Business activities a company.2ha
9. Corporate websites. An essay. Supply chain management.2ha
10. Retailing. Description of a retailing company. The layout of shops.2ha
11. Banking. Financial services. Money and loans.2ha
12. Business plan. SWOT analysis. A role play "Giving a loan". 2ha
13. Marketing. Marketing Mix. Target audience of a product. The report.2ha
14. Advertising. Types of advertising. Unique selling proposition. Pitch presentation.2ha
15. Test No. 2. / Agricultural industry.2ha
16. Recent news on economics from international sources. Discussion.2ha

Requirements for awarding credit points

Assessment: Examination.
The examination consists of:
a terminology test,
a presentation on the selected topic.
A student is admitted to the examination if there are: successfully written 2 tests, the glossary of terms for each topic, timely completed home works, completed individual work (reading of professional texts, the glossary of terms, the prepared PPoint presentation on the selected topic). Tests and home works are with a positive evaluation. The number of the missed classes shall not exceed 20%.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Individual work:
1. Reading of the independently chosen professional texts (the amount: 10 000 characters);
2. Submitted glossary of terms (30 terms, 30 translations, 20 definitions).

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The examination grade is calculated as an arithmetic mean of grades obtained in two examination tasks. The grade in the terminology test is successful if at least 70% of the answers are correct.

Compulsory reading

1. MacKenzie I. English for Business Studies. A course for Business Studies and Economics Students. Cambridge University Press, 2016. 191 p. ISBN 9780521743419.
2. Mascull B. Business Vocabulary in Use. Advanced. Cambridge University Press, 3rd edition, 2018. 172 p. ISBN 13978-1316628232
3. Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 14.09.2019.). Pieejams: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
4. Rosenberg M. Business Advantage. Advanced. Cambridge University Press, 2016. 158 p. ISBN9781107637832

Further reading

1. Akadēmiskā terminu datu bāze. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 14.09.2019.). Pieejams: http://termini.lza.lv/
2. Evans V., Dooley J., Patel K.C. Career Paths. Finance. Express Publishing, 2016. 117 p. ISBN 978-1-78098-645-6
3. Emmerson P. Business Vocabulary Builder. MacMillan, 2009. 176 p. ISBN 978-0-230-71682-7

Periodicals and other sources

1. Economy, Economics, Investment Reports. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 14.09.2019.). Pieejams: www.economywatch.com
2. Interneta informācijas dienests (Online business information service about the EU). [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 14.09.2019.). Pieejams: www.eubusiness.com
3. Wiley interneta bibliotēka (Wiley Online Library) [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 14.09.2019.).Pieejams: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

Notes

The study course is included in the compulsory part of the professional Bachelor’s degree programme “Entrepreneurship and Business Management”