Business English – Business Communication

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• 18

  weeks

Provide the techniques, methods and resources so that the worker develops the communicative competence necessary to function in different professional business contexts.
Address knowledge of the specific varieties of economic, commercial and financial English.
Know the specific aspects of the business world and the fundamental intercultural differences to be able to act appropriately in economic, commercial and financial contexts.
Acquire and master oral and written linguistic resources (textual, syntactic, lexical and morphological) used in different professional fields.
Analyze, based on real texts, different communicative situations that require the use of certain communicative techniques.
Master, value and apply information sources, documentation techniques, computer resources and bibliographic sources in the preparation of commercial, business and economic texts.
Exercise through simulations with our native teachers different scenarios from the business world in English: oral presentations, telephone calls, negotiations, as well as writing correspondence.

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• 18

  weeks

<strong>MODULE 1. Company to Company</strong>
Unit 1. Making Inquiries
1A. Study section
Emails, opening and closing a message, subject headings, asking for and sending information, email style, being polite
1 B. Activity section: Misplaced orders
Slembrouck BVBA have delivered the wrong goods to The Court Hotel and ABC (Drinks Machines) Ltd. What should they do?
1 C. The writing process: Getting help

Unit 2. Business Prospects
2A. Study section
Attachments, parts of a message, beginning and ending a message, email conventions
2B. Activity section: A business trip
Nagakura tried to arrange meetings with the office of Leefung Plastics in Hong Kong and Singapore. However, other events cause difficulties
2 C. The writing process: Steps in writing a message

Unit 3. Contacting Customers
3A. Study section
Referring, giving good/bad news, saying what you can/cannot do, giving reasons, British and American English, paragraphs
3B. Activity section: Holiday time
Western Travel wants to book a holiday for a group of tourists, but there are problems with the tour organisers, Sun Express and Golden Holidays
3C. The writing process: Writing a plan

Unit 4. When things go wrong
4A. Study section.
Letter layout, the date, making mild complaints, making a point, warning, making strong complaints
4B. Activity section: Who's responsible?
The heating system at Perfecta Ltd explodes. Who is responsible:
Aqua Warm BV or Bauer AG?
4C. The writing process: Read before you write

Unit 5. Getting things done
5A. Study section
Requesting action, apologizing, faxes
5B. Activity section: From quote to sale
Tavridis Ltd urgently needs a large quantity of cable, but the suppliers, Midtec Cables Ltd and Hanston Electrics, have problems in delivering
5C. The writing process: Drafting

Unit 6. Maintaining contact
6A. Study section.
Personal business letters and emails, opening/closing, inviting, accepting and declining
6B. Activity section: Repair or replace?
Jarritos SA use some rather old equipment in their factory. Should they ask Wesco Engineering to repair it or ask Alpha Food Machines to replace it?
6C. The writing process: Checking your work (1)

Unit 7. Customer Service
7A. Study section
Informal business letters, informal writing style, replying to complaints, advising customers
7B. Activity section: A credit check
Wainman Ltd have serious cashflow problems and want to buy paper on credit from Northern Paperworks. However, a reference from Lumino Inks Ltd makes the situation complicated
7C. The writing process: Checking your work (2)

Unit 8. Product Promotion
8A. Study section
Arranging and confirming meetings, placing orders, circulars, review and consolidation
8B. Activity section: A trade fair
Massari Tractors in Italy want Agricultural Supplies Ltd in India to increase sales, but who is going to pay for promotion at the India Trade Fair?
8C. The writing process: Checking your work (3)
role cards
Summary of useful phrases and main points
Example plans
Index of model letters, emails and key words
Letter and email layout guide

<strong>MODULE 2. Telephoning In English</strong>
.- Who's calling, please?
.- Would you hold on, please?
.- I'd like to know your prices
.- We're ready to order now
.- I'll have to change the booking
.- Let's fix another date
.- What seems to be the trouble?
.- I'm sure we can sort it out

Module 3. English For Business Communication

Module 1. Cultural diversity and socializing
Unit 1. Building a relationship
1. Cross-cultural understanding (1)
2. Welcome visitors
3. Small talk: keeping the conversation going

Unit 2. Culture and entertainment
1. Cross-cultural understanding (2)
2. Inviting, and accepting or declining
3. Eating out

Module 2. Telephoning
Unit 3. Could I leave a message?
1. Preparing to make a telephone call
2. Receiving calls
3. Taking and leaving messages
4. Asking for and giving repetition
5. The secretarial barrier

Unit 4. Good to hear from you again!
1. Cross-cultural communication on the telephone (1)
2. Setting up appointments
3. Changing arrangements
4. Ending a call

Unit 5. Unfortunately there´sa problem…
1. Cross-cultural communication on the telephone (2)
2. Problem-solving on the telephone
3. Complaints

<strong>Module 3 Presentations</strong>
Unit 6. Planning and getting started
1. Presentation technique and preparation
2. The audience
3. Structure (1) The introduction

Unit 7. Image, impact and making an impression
1. Using visual aids: general principles
2. Talking about the content of visual aids
3. Describing change

Unit 8. The middle of the presentation
1. Holding the audience's attention
2. Structure (2) The main body
3. Listing information
4. Linking ideas
5. Sequencing

Unit 9. The end is near… this is the end
1. Structure (3) The end
2. Summarizing and concluding
3. Questions and discussion

<strong>Module 4 Meetings</strong>
Unit 10. Making meetings effective
1. What makes a good meeting?
2. Chairing a meeting
3. Establishing the purpose of a meeting

Unit 11. Sorry to interrupt, but…
1. The structure of decision-making
2. Stating and asking for opinion
3. Interrupting and handling interruptions

Unit 12. What do you mean by…?
1. Asking for and giving clarification
2. Delaying decisions
3. Ending the meeting

<strong>Module 5. Negotiations</strong>
Unit 13. Know what you want
1. Types of negotiation
2. Preparation for a negotiation
3. Making an opening statement

Unit 14. Getting what you can
1. Bargaining and making concessions
2. Accepting and confirming
3. Summarizing and looking ahead

Unit 15. Not getting what you don't want
1. Types of negotiator
2. Dealing with conflict
3. Rejecting
4. Ending the negotiation

• 1

• 18

  weeks