Course code: SFBE50606
Course title: Business Communication I (English)
ECTS credits: 10
Category: The course is part of the programme Bachelor in International
Communication: It is a mandatory course when English has been chosen as main language.

Prerequisites:
Norwegian upper secondary school or equivalent qualifications in English.

Semester:
Autumn semester (1st semester of the bachelor programme).

Objective:
The primary aim of the course is to develop students' written and spoken English. The oral part aims to develop skills in situations that are relevant for business, such as polite conversation, telephoning or business presentations. The written part aims to develop skills to express oneself effectively in business communication. Emphasis is placed on communication strategies and on stylistic and grammatical conventions. Students are introduced to the structure of English and the relationship between grammatical structure and communicative function.

Content:
The oral part of the course introduces different forms of oral business communication, such as informative and persuasive presentations. Business communication is placed in a cultural context, thus the course also includes examples of modern English-language fiction. Student presentations take place in seminars. There are also discussions of the fiction reading and of case studies, focusing on argumentation and problem solving. An 8-hour part of the course takes place in the language laboratory with intensive training of telephone communication. This part has compulsory attendance.

The written part of the course teaches various forms of English business correspondence and basic terminology. As sound written skills are a prerequisite for effective written business communication, students are introduced to text production and linguistic structures, including basic syntactic analysis. Keywords are: text structure, coherence, style and level, and loyalty to the reader.

Organisation and teaching:
The course is given as lectures, seminars and language lab work, and is taught in English.

Mandatory assignments / exam requirements:
The telephone communication training in the language lab and two oral presentations must have been completed within the given deadlines.

Assessment:
An exam portfolio containing three texts. Evaluation is given on a scale from A to F.

Required reading:
Kaczmarek, S & K Locker (2004). Business Communication: Building Çritical Skills. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lodge, D (1989). Nice Work. Penguin Books.