Linguaphone Business English - Product Profile

LINGUAPHONE BUSINESS ENGLISH: PRODUCT PROFILE. Learner Profile This course is designed for the learner who already knows English but needs further practice to communicate more effectively in the business world. Business English will give learners the confidence and practice needed to do business in English with colleagues, clients, business contacts and acquaintances. On completing the course, learners will be able to: present a case or argument clearly; persuade other people to their point of view; understand and answer accurately all the questions they are asked; be polite and firm in discussions and negotiations. read and understand articles in trade and professional magazines; read and respond to letters and reports in English; read and understand documents and contracts of agreement in English; draft documents, reports, business plans and letters in English learn formal and informal English for use in business gain overall confidence, which will lead to career and business success. Business English is a Global Program The English in the program is the English of the international business world. The situations are realistic business situations. The program depicts business people from all over the world using English to communicate with one another. Learners will hear both British and American English, as well as many accents of English from other countries which they will need to become familiar with. Business English will help learners transfer their business skills into English. There is a language skills chart which provides an easy to use reference list of all the business and communications skills contained in the course. Learners who have completed the course, should have the ability and confidence to speak, read and write, in Global English. They will be able to conduct business in English competently and confidently. . Business Case Studies Business English is a modular-based course, which consists of twelve business case studies. The design of the materials uses the Modular Case-Based Learning (MCB-Learning) approach which is very flexible. The Case Studies are presented dramatically, just like a radio play. A Business Skills Chart is provided with each course, and learners are guided to use it in the following manner: * Select a starting point. Start with any of the case studies, most relevant to their interests and needs. *Choose a route through the materials which best meets their individual business and language needs. *Quickly revise areas most urgent to their business needs.

The Cases The 12 case studies in Business English present 'true-to-life' business situations and problems, many of which any business person will meet in the course of their work. These include: *a strategy for improving a company's market share; *an effective marketing campaign; *an exercise in creating an exclusive distributorship; .a business plan to break into a new market; *a response to a problem requiring the appointment of key staff; *an approach to extending credit; *a strategy for dealing with bad debts; * a management buyout; * a strategy for improving market position; *an approach to franchising; *an approach to acquiring sponsorship; *a take-over which reflects a particular management philosophy; *an approach to making a tender. Business activities contained in the case studies include: *manufacturing and engineering; *light industry and information technology; *distribution and marketing; *service industries. The Approach Each case study has three sections: The first presents the business situation or problem, the second discusses the situation, and in the third, the resolution to the problem is presented. A summary of the case studies is attached CAN-AM Type of company: Sports goods Business focus: Improving market share Principal countries/markets: Canada, UK Key Language Aims: Improving market share Reading background information, Using charts and tables, presenting advantages & disadvantages ------------------------------------------------------------------------------CASPANI Type of company: Fashion Business focus: Effective marketing Principal countries/markets: Italy, USA Key Language Aims: Memo writing, giving short answers, ways of agreeing, letter of complaint -------------------------------------------------------------------------------FARNELL Type of company: Industrial/generators Business focus: Negotiating an exclusive distributorship Principal countries/markets: UK, South East Asia Key Language Aims: Writing minutes of a meeting,checking references, Quoting prices --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RITTER ELEKTRON: Type of company: Information technology/electronics Business focus: Breaking into new markets Principal countries/markets: Germany, USA Key Language Aims: Asking leading questions, making a presentation, negotiating changes to a contract -------------------------------------------------------------------------------SAMEX Type of company: Australian Oil Company Business focus: Appointing key staff Principal countries/markets: Australia – Brazil Key Language Aims: Notes on an interview, job qualifications, international time differences. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------STAR – LINE Type of company: Nigerian Jewelry importer Business focus: Extending credit Principal countries/markets: Nigeria – France Key Language Aims: Formalities in business letters, accounts and payment, abbreviations used in telexes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------ELLIOTT-INDUSTRIES Type of company: British Electric motor manufacture Business focus: Granting exclusive distributorship Principal countries/markets: U.K Key Language Aims: Formal ways of stating conditions, computer terminology. Uses of “make” and “do” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------ORIENTAIR Type of company: Hong Kong airline Business focus: Improving market position Principal countries/markets: Hong-Kong , Europe Key Language Aims: Using flight timetables, summarizing meetings, introducing different points of view. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------BODY CARE Type of company: American cosmetic house Business focus: Franchising Principal countries/markets: U.S.A – Scandinavia Key Language Aims: Using figures, letters refusing requests, common acronyms (PR, CEO, etc), contracts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------HANSON Type of company: British boat building company Business focus: Sponsorship Principal countries/markets: Australia – U.K Key Language Aims: Preparing minutes of a meeting, telephone expressions, terms used with sponsorship. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------MENHAR Type of company: American hotel chain Business focus: Tendering / negotiations Principal countries/markets: People’s Republic of China – U.S.A Key Language Aims: Conference planning, terms associated with overwork and pressure, profit and loss accounts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------TAIYO Type of company: Japanese printing machinery supplier Business focus: take-over / management style Principal countries/markets: Japan – The Netherlands Key Language Aims: Expressing currency figures, formal versus informal style, expressing intentions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------