THIS COURSE IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'ENGLISH BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 3' (EBC3). Undergraduate (ie “Bachelor”) students are required to have passed EBC2 prior to attending EBC3.

The curriculum of this class is comprised of general language skills, core business content (i.e. the understanding and communication in English of selected business principles and activities, technical terminology and registers relative to the communicative context of the course) and communicative competence (both spoken and written).

The general content theme of this EBC3 course is language for international business, for which the main content-based language topics will be trade policy, factors affecting (foreign) market entry methods and legal issues, with a strong focus on covering current topical issues, relevant to all businesses operating in an international context.

The language and terminology covered in these topics will be applied in a variety of communicative settings including

- learning to engage with a variety of written texts and draw inferences on the language, content and messages conveyed in them (text comprehension)
- reflecting on and discussing current topical issues and their impact on countries's economies, industries and businesses
- giving a short presentation relating to business activities abroad or the countries in which they operate
- provide written advice in the form of structured analysis and a recommendation relating to a company's move into a new foreign market (report-writing task)

LEARNING OUTCOMES (LOs)

After successfully completing this course, students will be able:

• LO1: to demonstrate a level of general English competence equivalent to at least C1 on the Common European Framework;
• LO2: to understand and apply concepts from certain business and economic fields (trade policy, international trade, legal matters) and to recall as required the essential terminology associated with them for use in appropriate communicative contexts;
• LO3: to recall at will, and use, other typical features (structures, collocations, prepositional usage, etc) of the associated language related to these fields, in order to engage in discussions and other communicative tasks related topics in an appropriate manner, to understand the principles of report writing, and to apply these in practice;
• LO4: to combine the various abilities mentioned above in order to understand upper-level written texts about the above business and economic fields, and to write communicatively effective texts, both descriptive and analytical (specifically reports), relating to them, including applying appropriate rhetorical skills

In addition, this course fosters the following soft skills:

• Improved aural/oral skills
• Improved ability to analyse and understand texts in general
• Critical thinking
• Improved ability to engage in discussions on topical business issues through raised awareness of them (and the relevant language)
• Effective university-level study

As with all PI courses, attendance is a requirement to pass EBC3. As a special concession, you may miss up to three (3) course sessions. However, if you miss a fourth, you will no longer be able to pass the course. This condition applies whatever the reasons for your absences may have been.

This EBC3 course consists of a mix of self-study, online activities (LEARN), and live/on-campus classes relating to different aspects of the course.

The EBC3 classes are of an interactive nature and involve a wide range of activities based on the course materials, many of which will take the form of pair or small-group work. The sessions will comprise a mix of teacher-led input, talks and discussions, and preparation for the assessment elements, as well as the assesment activities themselves (on specified dates - for details see below). 

The live/on-campus sessions will be held during the scheduled class times and will have a content and/or language focus, depending on the relevant unit. Please note that EBC3 is currently scheduled to take place on campus but this may change depending on developments with Covid-19 and the government regulations.

The syllabus materials will be supplied directly by the course instructor via LEARN. These comprise language, comprehension and content exercises and are intended for use both as self-study and in-class activities. There is no requirement to purchase any course literature. 

In order to pass the EBC3 course, you must fulfill the following requirements:

• score at least 60% of the overall points total achievable (see below)
• not miss more than 3 sessions.

1 - Oral performance (20% of total grade): Your oral communication skills will be trained and then assessed through structured task assignments. These will take the form of an oral assessment of a discussion task (based on current topical business issues as presented in newspapers / current affairs journals) and a short class talk on a content-based topic relating to international business. Both tasks will require you to use and demonstrate analytical skills and critical thinking. This way you should be able to achieve proficiency in spoken English at the level of (or very close to) C1 under the European Framework of Reference, which is defined in full as follows:

• Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning.
• Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
• Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.

The oral assessment tasks will be held during session 4-10. You will be offered a choice of session dates for taking part in these.

2 - Writing Practice  (10% of total grade): You will receive 5 points, or 5% of the total grade, for timely delivery of an appropriate assignment written as a preparation for the report task (the "home exercise") for which you will also receive comprehensive feedback from your instructor. You will receive up to a 5 further points for completion of supporting tasks (peer feedback / review / revision) related to this text production. Full details of deadlines and tasks will be provided in good time during the course.

3 - Class participation (5% of total grade): In order to gain these points you will be expected to participate and show active engagement in all class activities. To this end, you must prepare thoroughly for each class and actively interact with both your peers and your instructor. Additionally you must show readiness to complete all relevant tasks set during the course (including on LEARN), which will include providing peer feedback and self-reflection related to other tasks.

4 - Test: Business English Language / Content  (30% of total grade): This assessment element will combine the content and language knowledge covered in the course with reading comprehension and text-based tasks. This will take place online.

5 - Test: Final Report (35% of total grade): In this assessment element you will write a new report on a market entry topic and related issues. This will take place online.

The grade boundaries for EBC3 are as follows:

Grade 1: 90-100%
Grade 2: 80-89%
Grade 3: 70-79%
Grade 4: 60-69%
Grade 5: 0-59%

Bachelor students must have passed EBC2 prior to attending EBC3. Please note that registration via LPIS is required for 'EBC3'.

Registration is effected on a first-come, first-served basis. Any unfilled slots will be filled from waiting lists in accordance with study progress and in cooperation with the Vizerektorat für Lehre und Studierende.

Individual EBC3 instructors are NOT involved in registration and will NOT reply to mails on the subject.

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In order to take this course you must have passed

• the course EBC1
• the course EBC2 (at the latest, at the Exceptional Test before the start of the semester in which you wish to take EBC3)

You can contact your instructor during ofice hours, immediately before or after class, or by mail / Teams.