Business Communication

Code

EDEN2002

School

School of Education and English

Level

2

Credits

20

Semesters

Spring China

Summary

The module introduces students to the analysis of language in use in business contexts. It considers the special contextual considerations of business discourse in a variety of situations, and how they influence, and are influenced by, features of the discourse. A range of quantitative and qualitative approaches are explored for examining how individuals and groups use spoken and written communication to achieve business-oriented goals. The range of methodologies and analytical frameworks include: genre analysis, critical discourse analysis, pragmatics, conversation analysis and so on. Contemporary issues in the field are also discussed, for instance, the use of new media technologies and globalisation on communication in commercial domains and organisational environments
Please note this module is assessed at the end of in Spring semester.  First sit/ Resit exams are scheduled normally in the summer and can take the same form as the missing/ failed component of the assessment (exam, essay etc.) or other form, as decided by the School.

Target Students

BA English Studies and International Business; BA English Language & Applied Linguistics; exchange students

Classes

• One 1-hour-30-minute seminar each week for 10 weeks
• One 1-hour-30-minute lecture each week for 10 weeks

Assessment

• 80% Coursework: 3,000-words written assignment
• 20% Portfolio: 1000-words collection of activity work, reflections, etc.

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding
• Of methodological design and application in producing sets of communicative data
• Of theoretical discourse-based frameworks and approaches and their application to the analysis of business and organizational communication
• Of a wide range of analytical communicative techniques Intellectual Skills
• The ability to critically evaluate published research relating to business communication
• The ability to understand, compare and contrast different approaches, methodologies and theoretical frameworks in discourse-based business and organizational communication
• The ability to conduct linguistic analysis independently and relate this to existing research and theory
• The ability to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their own work and draw appropriate conclusions
Professional skills
• The ability to produce a project report to a professional disciplinary standard
• The ability to design and execute a study of business communication
• The ability to present analyses and conclusions effectively using and applying the technical concepts of the field
• The ability to apply analysis of business communication to practical settings
Transferable skills
• The ability to produce systematic and rigorous descriptive and discursive writing
• The ability to undertake independent research on business communication
• The use of information technology to aid the research and data analysis process

Conveners