Minor in Business English in the 21st Century

Minor

Minor in Business English in the 21st Century

Aims of the Minor

The cross-faculty collaborated Minor in Business English in the 21st Century will offer students specialised training in business English communication skills, which will benefit undergraduate students in several ways. It can provide students with comprehensive language support in English to align with the evolving global and local landscape and offer them a blend of academic study and work-related training experience at the University. It can also enhance their English language and communicative competence needed to succeed in the multilingual and technology-supported workplace for the 21st Century. Additionally, it seeks to broaden students’ global perspectives and understanding of communication theories, practices, and strategies, empowering them to interact effectively in today’s globalised and digitalised professional contexts.

Minor Requirements (15 CPs)

This Minor is open to all undergraduate students. To declare the Minor, students are required to take 2 core courses plus 3 elective courses from the following list:

Core/Mandatory Courses

CLE1268

Business English I

Synopsis

This course aims to help students develop written and oral business English communication skills in preparation for their entry into the workplace in the 21st Century. It adopts a contextualised and task-based approach to instruction, where students will learn to employ appropriate text structure and language features to communicate information and ideas appropriately and professionally as entry-level professionals. They will also practice leveraging digital tools and generative AI technologies to enhance the quality and efficiency of workplace communication. Emphasis is placed on digital literacy, transferrable thinking, and English competence for various communication tasks, including job applications, internal email correspondence, professional business discussion, and business report writing.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

CILO1	deliver clear and persuasive messages in common workplace tasks in English as entry-level professionals
CILO2	employ business language and communication strategies appropriate to the audience, purpose and the professional context
CILO3	critically examine business situations and produce professional business correspondences with the assistance of digital technologies
CILO4	organise and articulate coherent ideas with appropriate linguistic devices in a professional setting

CLE1269

Business English II

Synopsis

This course aims to equip students with English communication skills to propose and present innovative ideas that address issues and solve problems in a collaboration-oriented, technologically enhanced workplace. They will learn to investigate real-world challenges and justify, pitch, and propose their ideas to respond to the challenges by using effective language skills and communication strategies such as storytelling, data visualisation and persuasive and concise language. To practice these skills, they will collaborate with their peers to co-design a project that involves discussing and negotiating with stakeholders via email and online platforms, as well as presenting their ideas confidently and clearly in person. The assessments will focus on: email correspondence to external parties, preparing business meeting agendas and meeting minutes, writing a project proposal, and presenting project ideas.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

CILO1	communicate ideas effectively and persuasively using appropriate language skills and communication strategies
CILO2	collaborate with peers and external parties in a respectful and professional manner using online platforms and digital tools
CILO3	organise and deliver a creative and professional workplace presentation using narratives and visual aids
CILO4	demonstrate critical thinking and creativity in proposing and presenting innovative ideas

Elective courses

BUS1021

Business Communication and Cultural Diversity at Workplace

Synopsis

Information technology has a tremendous impact on business communication and workforce movement, this course provides opportunities for students to explore communication concepts, e-tools in business communication as well as cultural challenges encountered in the workplace. Students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills in business communication via use of e-tools with a special attention to addressing cultural differences.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

CILO1	Understand the importance of having good communication in local and international businesses.
CILO2	Analyse and apply the forms and key aspects of communication in the business contexts.
CILO3	Compare and apply a variety of e-Communication tools in terms of their usages and benefits to local and international businesses.
CILO4	Communicate effectively when different cultures meet at workplace.
CILO5	Apply different business communication skills.

CLE1270

English for Global Citizenship: Globalisation in the Digital Age

Synopsis

This course aims to develop students’ knowledge, values, and English language skills to facilitate global engagement. It will cover four topics to help students understand the impacts of technologies on societal changes and social interactions, one of the key learning domains under the UNESCO (2015) global citizenship education framework. The topics are media and technology, labour and employment, intercultural communication, and fast fashion showcasing globalisation and consumerism. Students will acquire related lexical resources and English skills for narrative construction and data representation as they investigate these topics and conduct project-based learning. By providing students with practices to make connections between concepts, data, phenomena, and personal experiences, this course will empower students to conduct critical inquiries into these important global issues, reflect on their personal experiences and potential consequences of individual actions, and select the most appropriate way to act as an ethical and responsible global citizen.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

CILO1	Learn and apply a range of lexical resources in related areas for global engagement.
CILO2	Use a range of written and verbal skills to effect communication through different channels and in different forms in the digital age.
CILO3	Acquire and apply skills of summary writing, reflective writing, narrative writing and action plan writing.
CILO4	Identify, interpret and evaluate ideas to engage in meaningful discussions with peers for global participation and advocacy.

CLE1271

English for Global Citizenship: Global Communities

Synopsis

This course aims to develop students' knowledge, values, and English language skills to facilitate global engagement. It will introduce four topics related to one of the key learning domains of global citizenship according to the UNESCO’s (2015) global citizenship education framework: how cultural communities and social relationships are shaped by glocal orientations. The topics are World Englishes and accented English, food culture and equity, gender and education, and ethnicity. Using an inquiry-based learning approach to explore the four themes, students will acquire a range of lexical resources, knowledge, and rhetorical skills for persuasion to help them build English competence for self-expression and advocacy, enabling them to engage in dialogues with people from diverse cultural backgrounds with an open-minded attitude, empathy, and respect and develop their learning in the three domains of global citizenship: cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioural.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

CILO1	Acquire a range of lexical resources in relation to the themes and effectively apply them in spoken and written communication
CILO2	understand the related concepts and importance of global citizenship and its implications for language use and communication
CILO3	learn and apply rhetorical skills of persuasion and advocacy for global participation and advocacy
CILO4	develop critical thinking and intercultural awareness of global issues and challenges

ENG3437

Fostering Intercultural Learning and Growing: From Theory to Practice

Synopsis

With the globalization and internationalization of higher education, there is a growing number of opportunities for students to cross borders, countries and culture to start a new language and cultural learning journey in a different educational context. It is crucial to prepare our students with relevant theory and research together with some practical examples, facilitate their understanding of their intercultural education and help them achieve positive learning outcomes by relating their international/intercultural learning experiences to the topics in this course. This course is designed for students in the university with recent or current international experience (study abroad, exchange program, immersion program, internships or educational visit). It will guide students with understanding theories and topics such as language/cultural shock, acculturation challenges and strategies, intercultural adjustment, intercultural relations, identity expansion, global citizenship and intercultural competence in a second language from perspectives of international education (intercultural contact and diversity) and cross-cultural psychology (the stress and coping theory, cultural learning theory and the social identification theory). Through deep and critical self-reflection, blog sharing, group discussion, and interview, this course will enhance student awareness of linguistic and cultural differences, develop effective communication skills and strategies, strengthen intercultural communication competence, and shape their values, beliefs and identity as a global citizen.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

CILO1	Demonstrate a sound and critical understanding of the concepts and theories involved in intercultural education and learning;
CILO2	Demonstrate a sound and critical understanding of different intercultural attitudes, communication and adaptation;
CILO3	Develop an awareness of cultural diversity and how it influences their life in terms of intercultural learning; and
CILO4	Critically reflect on their own and others’ cultural experiences in references to the concepts and theories of intercultural education and adaptation.

LIN3044

English for Cross-Cultural Communication in Greater Bay Area and Beyond

Synopsis

With the rapid global increase in mobility, technology and the ensuing growth of multilingualism, cross-cultural understanding has become essential for communicating effectively with others from different cultures and promoting coordinated regional development. Moreover, there is a growing sense of urgency for cultivating talents to promote Hong Kong’s reputation globally as a leading international city and enhance its role in fostering exchange as well as stronger ties with other cities in the Greater Bay Area. This course aims to strengthen students’ English speaking and writing abilities by engaging with a wide range of original sources. It also prepares them with enhanced competitiveness and international competence for living and working in a cross-cultural context. In addition, the course will cover practical skills for communication and translation in diverse cultural situations and for critically analysing different culture-specific rules of the use of language.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

CILO1	Understand cultural and linguistic variables in speech and communication in multicultural and multilingual communities.
CILO2	Demonstrate knowledge of language registers and the choice of linguistic codes in the social and economic context of the Greater Bay Area.
CILO3	Produce documents and materials in appropriate styles from information extracted from various linguistic sources.
CILO4	Apply strategies to conduct effective communication in various multicultural and multilingual settings.

Centre Coordinator

Ms LIN Yanyan Catherine

Tel: 2948 8173

Email: cyylin@eduhk.hk

Student Enquiry

Mr Tom CHAN

Tel: 2948 8043

Email: cle@eduhk.hk

Disclaimer:

Any aspect of the course and course offerings (including, without limitation, the content of the Course and the manner in which the Course is taught) may be subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of the University. Without limiting the right of the University to amend the course and its course offerings, it is envisaged that changes may be required due to factors such as staffing, enrolment levels, logistical arrangements and curriculum changes.

Minor