Business English (5 cr)

Objective

Students will be proficient in the basics of English for business and working life using spoken and written English

Content

Communication in working life and customer service
Education and study
Applying for work
Business Communication
Company presentation

Location and time

Spring 2025

Materials

Isaacs, C., Pesso, P. Rasimus R., Rönkä, I. (2022). Eye for Business. Edita Publishing Oy.
Materials in Reppu.

Teaching methods

Blended learning and online studies

Exam schedules

Exam A - open 21.3.-28.3.
Exam B - open 19.5.-31.5.

International connections

The course participants include international students.

Completion alternatives

It is possible to complete the course independently by doing all of the listed tasks and actively contacting other students on the course to complete assignments that require group and pair work.

Student workload

130 h, 21 h of online teaching via Teams; 110 h independent work.

Content scheduling

Jan 4 1 Brief introduction to the course
Jan 5 2-3 Careers in tourism: your skillset and work experience, the ideal candidate for the job
Feb 7 4-5 Talking about tourism: news item presentations
Feb 9 6-7 Basic business vocabulary
Mar 11 8-9 Basic business Vocabulary
Mar 12 10-11 Responsible tourism
Mar 13 12-13 Writing for work – purchasing process
April 15 14-15 Writing for work – style and diplomatic language
April 18 16-17 Networking and public speaking
May 20 18-19 Meetings and negotiations
May 21 20-21 Managerial skills

Evaluation scale

0 - 5

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The students are able to explain in their own words and fluently compensate for any lack of vocabulary as well as being able to use business and working life terminology accurately. They are able to communicate in demanding situations.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The students are able to express themselves in a different way if necessary and use business and working life terminology somewhat accurately. The students are able to communicate clearly in key situations.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The students are able to use basic business and working life vocabulary so that their message is communicated. They are able to communicate understandably in simple routine situations.

To be awarded a grade 1, all assessed assignments must be completed and approved and any possible exam result must be at least 50%.

Assessment methods and criteria

Continual assessment based on tasks (graded pass/fail and also numerically graded 0-5)
Two exams graded 0-5; 50% of the answers must be correct for a grade 1 (satisfactory)

Speaking tasks 0-5:
Grade 3-5 (good, very good, excellent require that the students use their own words and does not read from notes or slides).

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The students are able to explain in their own words and fluently compensate for any lack of vocabulary as well as being able to use business and working life terminology accurately. They are able to communicate in demanding situations.

Toteutuksen arviointikriteerit, hyvä (3-4)

The students are able to express themselves in a different way if necessary and use business and working life terminology somewhat accurately. The students are able to communicate clearly in key situations.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The students are able to use basic business and working life vocabulary so that their message is communicated. They are able to communicate understandably in simple routine situations.

To be awarded a grade 1, all assessed assignments must be completed and approved and any possible exam result must be at least 50%.

Prerequisites

B2, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages