BBS Business English First Year

Tribhuvan University

Business English-I

Compulsory English

Course Title: Business English

Course no: MGT201

Nature of course: Theory

Full Marks: 100

Pass Marks: 35

Credit Hours: 150

Course Description : This course, through spotlight on building business language competence and improving reading and writing skills, helps students become successful communicators in business situations. It makes use of three-pronged approach to enable them to hone their grammar and mechanics, and critical reading and writing skills.

Course Objective : The objective of this course is to help students use their general English skills in interdisciplinary contexts with lessons covering vocabulary and grammar exercises. It also aims to broaden students' literary readings in order to enrich their linguistic competence, comprehension ability, writing and presentational skills in business domain.

Course Contents:

Unit 1. Grammar and Writing Mechanics 22 Hrs.

Sentences: Elements, Varieties, Patterns, Types, Faults; Nouns, Pronouns and Antecedents; Verbs, Tenses, Subject-Verb Agreement; Modifier and Connector: Modifiers, Prepositions, Conjunctions; Mechanics: Punctuation, Capitalization, Numbers

Unit 2. Using the Business language 7 Hrs.

Fundamentals of language; Language and Meaning; Language, Society and Culture; Stylistic Features; Functions of Language Using Language Effectively; Strong Words; Coherent Paragraphs; Commonly Confused Words

Unit 3. Business Vocabulary 7 Hrs.

Importance of Business vocabulary; Vocabulary in Use; Business Specific Terminologies, Idioms and Expressions; Vocabulary in Communication Situations; Vocabularies in Writing Situation; Vocabularies in Speaking Situation; Ways to Improve Business Vocabulary

Unit 4. Business Communication Messages 7 Hrs.

Written; Oral; Visual Messages; Electronic Messages; Nonverbal messages

Unit 5. Business Writing 22 Hrs.

Brochures: Guidelines and Instructions; Media Stories, Releases and Advertisements: Media Stories, News Reports; Articles and Stories; Broadcasting Stories; Press Releases; Effective Media Relations; Advertisements

Unit 6. Reading Strategies and Writing Process 40 Hrs.

Reading to Write: Becoming a Critical Reader; Brent Staples. “Cutting and Pasting: A Senior Thesis”; Note-Making; Summarizing; Invention; Arrangement; Drafting and Revising; Editing and Proof Reading; Paragraph Writing.

Unit 7. Patterns of Writing 45 Hrs.

Narration: Sandra Cisneros: “Only Daughter”; Bonnie Smith-Yackel: “My Mother never Worked”; Description: Jhumpa Lahiri: “Rice”; Heather Rogers: “The Hidden Life of Garbage”; Cause and Effect: Stan Cox: “The Case against Air Conditioning”; Lawrence Otis Graham: “The ‘Black Table’ is still There” Comparison and Contrast: Bharati Mukherjee: “Two Ways to Belong in America”; Amy Chau: “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” Definition: Judy Brandy: “I want a Wife”; Gayle Rosenwald Smith: “The Wife-Beater”; Argumentation: Alex Tabarrok: “The Meat Market”; Daniel Engber. “Let them Drink Water!”

Reference Books:

Kirszner, Laurie G. & Stephen R. Mandell (2012). Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide.
Tickoo, Champa & Jaya Sasikumar (1979). Writing with a Purpose.
Holmes, H.I. (2014). English for Business Studies.
Guffey, Mary Ellen & Carolyn M. Seefer (2011). Business English.
Oxford Business English Dictionary for Learners of English. Oxford: OUP