Course Title:Business English (Fall 2013)
Course Code:ENG 281A_02 (Mondays)
Duration:Two semesters
Credits: 3 + 3
Medium of Instruction:English
Course Instructor:John Mok
Contact Information:2408-8949, 9474-7842;
,

Aims / To introduce students to the basics of business English;
Toexpose students to the essential forms of writing in the workplace;
To improve students’ ability for teamwork, to do research, and to make presentation in public;
To improve students’ writing and reading skills.
Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILO) / Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
  1. realize the importance of effective writing and communication in today's changing workplace;
  2. take on a mini project, do presentation and prepare a report;
  3. write effectively in the workplace.

Keyword Syllabus / Enquiries, invitations, business letters, memoranda, e-mail, business report and layout, minutes, job applications, resumes, cv, job interviews, public speaking skills, report writing, bibliography, annotation, references, teamwork, English grammar
Syllabus Content / Layout of forms of business writing
Enquiry letters
Email and Memoranda
Report writing
Doing research as a team
Group presentation
Challenging and responding to challenges
Write to enquire for support from NGOs or commercial entities, or for an opportunity to visit an institution
Business terms, jargons and phrases / CILO No.
1,3
1,3
1,3
1,3
2
1,2
1
1,3
1,3
Teaching & Learning Activities
(TLA) / TLA 1. Lectures and discussions
Lectures followed by discussions introducing the layout of common forms of business writing, emphasizing the gist of such writing; in addition, terms and vocabularies related to the business world are introduced, which together directly contribute to the intended outcomes 1 to 3.
TLA 2. Group Project Report and Presentation
Students will form groups to complete one group project assignment. Each group will decide on a topic of their own choice,after which members will participate in a research project involving survey and other original data collection and analysis, prepare for the group presentation using PowerPoint, and finish writing the group report. Emphasis is placed on preparing the Abstract, Table of Contents and Bibliography in the final report. This group assignment gives students the opportunity to apply and integrate knowledge learned in lectures and to demonstrate problem solving skills. Students will also learn teamwork and develop their communication skills that are useful in their future careers.
TLA 3. Individual Assignments
After lectures on the essential forms of business writing, assignments are given so that students have the opportunity to revisit and apply what they have learned.
TLA 4. Real-life Application of Theoretical Knowledge
There is an enquiryexercise to reinforce the validation of good business writing. The class will write to commercial entities or NGOs to ask for donation of moon cakes, and then we will give out these moon cakes to the homeless or the elderly; or the class will write to visit an organization. This exercise is expected to bring excitement and arouse confidence of students.
TLA 5. Consultation
The instructor offers private consultation after class to address students’ questions and study problems. Students are encouraged to discuss issues with the instructor in person or by email. / CILO No.
1,2.,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,3
1,2,3
Teaching Methods / Theoretical concepts are introduced by lectures, which are supplemented with assignments, presentations and discussions. A real-life application of learned concepts and knowledgewill be used to reinforce the validation ofgood business writing.
Assessment Tasks
(AT) / Theory-based
AT1. Continuous assessment60%
AT2. Examination
Final examination40%
AT1: Continuous assessment
Continuous assessment involves in-class participation, assignments,the group project and a test. To encourage students to be more engagedin class, marks are given for questions asked and answers provided by students. This exercise tends to develop students’ initiatives to think critically and actively. The process also helps students to effectively apply knowledge learned in lectures byaskingwell thought-out questions. Assignments are designed to strengthen students’ understanding of the principles and knowledge learned about common forms of business writing. The group project is to develop students’ analytical, writing and presentation skills through the cooperation of teamwork. These assessment methods are designed to achieve the intended learning outcomes 1-3.
AT2: Examination
A final examination is categorized into three difficulty levels covering both fundamental and advanced levels of questions about the subject matters. Advanced level questions particularly test students’ application ability on knowledge learned in lectures and their generalwriting proficiency. / CILO No.
1,2,3
Assessment
Method / Enquiry Letter / 10%
Email and Memorandum / 10%
Group Report Writing / 10%
GroupReport Presentation / 10%
Posting questions and answering questions / 10%
Test / 10%
Final Examination / 40%
Prerequisite / NIL

Lesson Plan

Week / Date / Topics/Tasks
1 / 09/09 / Course introduction.
Divide students into groups; each group decides on a topic for the project report.
Homework: 1) write a letter in proper business-letter format, introducing the student himself / herself to the instructor.
2) each group begins to do initial research on the report topic.
2 / 09/16 / Lecture on letter layout—students compare the correct format with that of theirs.
Homework: 1) study EnquiryLetter at: each student decides on a commercial concern to write to for donation of moon cakes, or on an organization to visit; 2) continue to do research on the report topic.
Submit the letter homework.
3 / 09/23 / Students raise questions on Enquiry Letter;
Lecture on Enquiry Letter.
Homework: 1) study report writing at: particularly on the Abstract, Table of Contents, and Bibliography; 2) continue to do research on the report topic.
Assignment 1: Write and type an Enquiry Letter.
4 / 09/30 / Students raise questions on report writing;
Lecture on report writing.
Homework: Each group prepares a tentative Table of Contents for its report in printed form.
Submit assignment 1: EnquiryLetter.
5 / 10/07 / Report tutorial 1: I need to see a printed Table of Contents from each group.
Homework: 1) study Email and Memorandum at:
2) continue to do research on the report topic, prepare a printed questionnaire and revise the Table of Contents.
6 / 10/14 / Chung Yeung Festival
7 / 10/21 / Report tutorial 2: I need to see a printed questionnaire from each group.
Students raise questions on Email and Memorandum;
Lecture on Email and Memorandum.
Homework: 1) continue to do research on the report topic;2) revise the questionnaire; 3) study how to prepare a Bibliography at
Assignment 2: write and type an Email and a Memorandum.
8 / 10/28 / Students raise questions on preparing the Bibliography for their report;
Lecture on preparing Bibliography.
Homework: 1) prepare a printed Bibliography for their report; 2) continue to do research on the report topic.
Submit assignment 2: Email and Memorandum.
9 / 11/04 / Report tutorial 3: I need to see a printed Bibliography.
Homework:prepare the PowerPoint presentation for the project report.
10 / 11/11 / Begin report presentations – 2 groups (randomly selected), followed by questions and answers.
11 / 11/18 / Report presentations – 2 groups (randomly selected), followed by questions and answers.
12 / 11/25 / Report presentations – 2 groups (randomly selected), followed by questions and answers.Report presentations will be all finished by this week.
Homework: 1) study Business English vocabularies – advertising, at: 2) finalize your group report.
13 / 12/02 / Students raise questions on English vocabularies – advertising;
Lecture on English vocabularies – advertising.
Homework: study Business English vocabularies –advertisingand corporate buzzwords, at:
Submit assignment 3: Group report.
14 / 12/09 / Students raise questions on Business English vocabularies –advertising and corporate buzzwords.
Lecture on English vocabularies –advertising and corporate buzzwords.
Homework:study Business English vocabularies –advertising, corporate buzzwords, sales and marketing, at:
15 / 12/16 / Students raise questions on Business English vocabularies – advertising, corporate buzzwords,sales and marketing.
Lecture on Business English vocabularies – advertising, corporate buzzwords,sales and marketing.
Test.
Tie up loose ends and review for the final exam.
16 / 12/23 / Christmas Holiday
17 / 12/30 / New Year Holiday
18 / 01/06 / Final Examination

Reading Materials
Notes prepared by the instructor, at

Reference Book
Bilbow, Grahame T. Business Writing for Hong Kong. Hong Kong:Longman
Hong Kong Education, 1st ed. 1991, 2004.

Online Reference

Style guide
(MLA Formatting and Style
Guide)

exercise.doc.

(Style and Writing Guides--35 resources)

E-books
(links to free e-books by subjects)
(University of Adelaide Library)
(100 Best Free Online Book for an Education
—listed by Will Durant)
(annotated links to free e-books worldwide)
(Squashed Philosophers)

Open coursewares
(MIT)
(Yale University)
(University of California at Berkeley)
(open coursewares in China)

=26 (a link to open coursewares worldwide)

Encyclopaedias

Search engines

.

News sites



Dictionaries/references
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)
(Youdao Chinese-English Dictionary)
(Yahoo Chinese-English Dictionary)
(Apple Chinese-English Dictionary)
(Multilingual Wiktionary)
(Acronym Finder)
(Google Translate)

English learning



NB:

Late assignments will have marks deducted at the rate of 5% a day. No assignment will be accepted if the submission is more than one week late.

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