Corso di studio in Amministrazione Aziendale

The objective of the course is to give students a general Business English knowledge, in particular business lexus, business correspondence, and oral presentations

At the end of the course the students should be able to do the following in English:

• understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in the work environment. 
• deal with a basic conversation with a client or colleague 
• produce simple a simple business email and give an opinion about a work related situation.
• give an oral presentation about a company, describing its history, core products,
  competitors, and marketing strategy.

There will be vocabulary exercises as well as reading, writing, listening and speaking.  In particular, there will be quizzes online, tasks to complete and upload on course page (email) and participation on the discussion forum to express opinions.

The exam consists of two parts.  The first part is a written exam which includes a case study and an email.  Students are asked to read a brief case study based on situations typically found in the workplace e give their opinion and / or suggest a solution.  This part is followed by an email task related to the case study. The second part is a presentation of a company which lasts approximately 8 minutes.  There will be two or three students presenting their companies.  After (or during) the presentation, the teacher will ask the student questions about the company. The teacher can also ask the other students questions about their classmates’ companies. The written exam lasts one hour.  Both parts of the exam will be held on the same day in person.

*Important information: in order to eligible to sit the exam, students must participate in the online activities, completing a number of activities online.

There is a website with e-flashcards to review vocabulary.  There will be exercises to practice writing emails and to review grammar if necessary.  There are lessons in the virtuale classroom to practice speaking.

Vocabulary and Reading:  This type of lesson focuses on learning vocabulary through specific exercises and extensive reading.  Some of the topics include:  Financial Terminology, Describing Trends, Marketing, Development, Types of companies, Describing your job.

Vocabulary and Listening:  This type of lesson focuses on learning vocabulary through specific exercises and listening exercises to improve listening comprehension.  Some of the topics include:  Telephone conversations, Branding, Human Resources, Banking and Finance

Writing:  There are 5 lessons which focus on how to write business emails.  The lessons give guidelines, show examples, and provide exercises to improve written productions.  There is also a lesson about how to write a covering letter.

Speaking:  These lessons are mainly about how to give an oral presentation.  The lessons provide a structure for presentations, vocabulary for beginning, ending and transitioning in a presentation.  There is also a lesson about making small talk and socializing.  Of course the students don’t actually speak during the lessons but they are given appropriate expressions and examples. Speaking practice will be carried out in the virtual classroom.

Case Studies: These lessons adopt an integrated learning approach.  Students are presented with a situation that they could encounter at work.  They are asked simulate the situation, applying their practical knowledge to take a decision.  They are asked to give their opinion and follow up by writing an email informing the people involved of their decision.  This is a kind of role play where all four skills are put into action.  Some examples include:  choosing a new manager, choosing a new location for a company headquarters, deciding how to market a product with unsatisfactory sales results