Business English and Rubrics Testing in ELT, Dr. R. Ramesh [popular ebook readers TXT] 📗

Contents
Title
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Chapter I Introduction
Chapter II Teacher’s Role and Methods in ELT
Chapter III English for Business Communication
Chapter IV Rubrics Testing, Evaluation and Assessment
Chapter V Summation
Bibliography

Preface
The present study entitled “Developing Specific English Course for MBA-Students: A Study”, contains five chapters. This study focused particularly on MBA students and their development in Business English and Business Communication skills.
The first chapter, Introduction attempts to focus on the Business English, Business Communication, Significance of English Language in Business, History of English Language Teaching in India, Uses of Practionary Authentic Materials in Business English, utility and Necessity of Business English course.
The second chapter, Teacher’s Role and Methods in ELT, concentrates on the various methods that practiced in English Language Teaching and teacher’s role in executing Business English for Business students.
In the third chapter, English for Business Communication, the researcher has created twelve activities to develop the communication skills for MBA students.
The fourth chapter, Rubrics Testing, Evaluation and Assessment, deals with the performance and analysis of the students in each activity.
The final chapter, Summation brings out the Hypothesis realization and the performance of the students.
The researcher while writing the thesis has followed MLA Hand
Book VI edition.
List of Abbreviations
MBA - Master of Business Administration
ELT - English Language Teaching
ESP - English for Specific Purpose
U.G. - Under Graduate
P.G. - Post Graduate
TPR - Total Physical Response
CLL - Community Language Learning
CLT - Communicative Language Teaching
Ltd. - Limited


CHAPTER I
Introduction
Description of the Topic:
English is a universal language and a language of intercontinental culture, which embraces world wide knowledge. It is an easy medium of communication in the international sphere of life. Being an international knowledge language, it has created better understanding among the nations of the world and their culture. It is one of the accepted medium for international business transactions. The advent of 21st century has accompanied globalization in scientific, technical and economical activities on an international scale, which has magnified as the role of English language in international communications. In order to achieve better and more effective results in an international trade, the relevant business people must be given adequate training in using Business English. To be involved in the world / national business, there is always a need for an internationally accepted language. Obviously, English language has attained that status.
The purpose of developing ‘Specific Course’ is to meet the needs of learners, in a special language concept. About the idea of a special language, Ellis and Johnson states: “special language is as a restricted repertoire of words and expressions selected from the whole language because that restricted repertoire covers every requirement within a well-defined context, task or vocation” (4).
Students of Business Administration need such a specific English language teaching to meet their future business needs and their improvements. For them, Business English plays a vital role and acts as a ladder in their career. Developing Specific English Course for MBA students – is a study, to make the students to develop the required skills in using English language. It is a course developed to build student’s confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing English in business contexts. This Business English course for Business Administration students will increase English language proficiency, excellent skills, and wider vocabulary knowledge. It gives post dignity to the learners. In order to develop the above mention skills, Specific English course is necessary for MBA students.
Business English:
With the globalization of trade and economy and the continuing increase of international communication in various fields, the demand for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is also expanded, especially in countries, where English has been taught as a foreign or second language. ESP is a separate branch of English language teaching. As for a broader definition of ESP, Hutchinson and Waters theorize, “ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning” (29).
ESP syllabus is based on an analysis of learner’s need and their own personal distinct knowledge of using English for real communication. ESP materials will be designed on the topics and activities of specific purpose only. While designing an ESP course, grammatical functions, acquisition skills, terminology and specific functions of discipline are taken into consideration as crucial parts of the ESP course. The salient features of ESP are listed out as below:
• ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learner.
• ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves.
• ESP is centered on the language, skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities.
• ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a territory level or in a professional work station.
Among the various types of ESP courses, Business English implies the definition of specific language corpus and emphasizes on the particular kind of communication in a specific context. There are a lot of definitions for Business English, which ELT specialists might follow: Chilver, an ELT professor defines, “Business English is designed to help learners to improve their Business English Communication Skills” (21). Stevense, a journalist in his words says, “Business English is a type of English for specific purposes that is meant to meet the needs / requirements / specific purposes or learners whose interest is business” (Mackenzie 67). According to Jones, define Business English is: “… highly communicative in nature. It provides a lovely atmosphere with the emphasis on the use of language in a business context and to learn more about the world of business from an English language perspective” (124). Hollett, in his work New Business Objectives define Business English:
Business English is a language development in a business setting. It is identical to general English in that it covers the same teaching / learning progression for language. Grammar and lexis are deliberately presented in a work place setting. (5)
The major objectives of Business English are:
• Confidence and fluency in speaking, writing.
• Skills for organizing and structuring information.
• Strategies for following the main points of fast, complex and imperfect speech.
• Clear pronunciation and delivery.
• Sufficient language accuracy to be able to communicate ideas without ambiguity.
• Skill for presentations and explaining these views without stress for the listener.
Business English customizes the needs based on job specific language and vocabulary of the business students. It focuses broadly on the four basic language skills of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Business English aims at qualifying its learners for employment and their future business needs.
Business Communication:
The term ‘communication’ is a process in which people occupy differing environments and exchange messages in a specific context via one or more channels and often respond to each others’ messages through verbal and non-verbal feedback. In business, communication is both a frequent and critically important process. It occupies a specific place than any other activity and often makes the difference between success and failure for the organization as a whole and for its individual person. It is an inevitable and irreversible process. Lawrence Baron, comments on communication as:
Communication is the corner stone of any successful business – not only does it span between customers, but within company as well. Many companies find they lose productivity and money due to a lack of communication and it will affect a company’s performance. (Kapoor 64)
Communication is a major and essential part of the work of business. Business needs the people with good communication skills. Improving communication skills improves paves way to success in business. It could enable human beings to work together. In business, it is the vehicle through which management performs its basic functions. Managers administrate through communication, coordinate through communication, plan and control through communication. Thus, all organized efforts, including the work of business, require communication.
Mark Federighi, National Manager of Business Development, says about the significance of Business Communication as follows:
Communication is essential to building trust and team work among employees. To become a successful leader, you must have a great team. Just look at Michelangelo. He did it paint the Sistine chapel by himself, but with the help of his team. It is considered one of the best works in History. It’s all about the good communication between the team. (Lesikar 4)
There are two broad categories of communication in Business namely; internal operational and external operational communications. Communicating process done in conducting work within a business is called internal operational communication. Works such as giving orders, supervise the workers, assembling reports and writing e-mails are considered as internal operational communication.
External operational communication is the process that the work related communication with people outside the business (i.e.) publics like suppliers, service companies, customers and the general public works such as personal selling, telephoning and advertising are considered as external operational communication.
These both internal and external communications are vital for business success. While examining the process of communication, the five steps are followed. They are: idea formation, message encoding, message transmission, message decoding and feed back. The common definition of communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another. This process of communication is successfully activated only when the receivers understand an idea as sender indented it.
Effective communication is the key to success in business environment. Guffey defines function of Business Communication, “Business communication is communication used to promote a product, service or organization; relay information within the business” (13). Business Communication message is conveyed to the various accidence or organizations through various channels of communication, including email, voice mail, intranets, websites, video-transmission and video-conference, etc.
Business communication is important for business students, those who need to learner to convey their ideas accurately, effectively and convincingly. The important aspects of Business Communication skills are presentations, meetings, memo writings, telephonic conversations, etc.
Practicing communication skill in a wide range of business settings, is needed for learners those who learn Business English. Business English is designed to help the learners to improve their Business communication skills. In Business, communication problems are caused only by means of lack of language equivalency. No matter, how good business man’s selling techniques is, or how good his marketing proposal is. But poor language skills inevitably destroy all his efforts. Thus Business English is an essential element for Business Communication.
Significance of English Language in Business:
English is the international language of business and used to do business across international boundaries. It is the fact that it will be impossible to operate in the world of commerce without strong command of English language. Business executives from different countries should have a common language among them. For an example, the members of the European Free Trade Association conduct all their business in English, even though not one of them is a native English speaker. In the words of one international authority says, “English has emerged as the lingua franca of world commerce in much the same way that Greek did in the ancient world of the west and China did in the East” (Varghese 17).
In the world wide business, communication plays vital role in today’s global challenge. Among the other frequent mediums of communication, English language