LE4600-ENM

COURSE OUTLINE FOR ENGLISH FOR OCCUPATIONAL PURPOSES

LE 4600 ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
Centre

CELPAD

Division

English Language Division

Programme

Economics and Management

Course Title

English for Occupational Purpose

Course Code

LE 4600

Status

Requirement

Level

Undergraduate

Credit Hours

Contact
Hours
Prerequisites

6 hours per week

Teaching
Methodology

Lecture
Discussions

Method of
Evaluation

a. Coursework (60%)

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills (LE 4000)

Fieldtrip
Simulations

1. Midterm (Letter & Memo)

2. Short Analytical report*
3. Business Proposal*
4. Field Trip Report
5. Quizzes
6. Oral presentation*

- 10
- 10
- 10
- 10
- 10
- 10

b. Final Examination (40%)

-

includes the knowledge and application of business written

communication

(*) Marks for (2) and (3) are group marks and marks for (6) are partially group marks, mainly on
the AV presentation aspect.

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD

LE4600-ENM
MARKING GUIDELINES FOR
MEMOS, LETTERS, MEMO REPORT AND RESUME/LETTER
Marks given as follows:
Task fulfillment
(appropriacy, completeness, preciseness, format)
Communicative quality
(coherence and cohesion, message is clear, effectiveness
and range of lexical choices in relations to the demands,
application of 7Cs)
Total

- 10
- 10

- 20/2
10 m

2. ANALYTICAL REPORT (10%)

(refer to the attached marking scheme)
3. BUSINESS PROPOSAL (15%)
(refer to the attached marking scheme)
4. ORAL PRESENTATION (10%)
(refer to the attached marking scheme)
Instructor

To be determined

Semester
Offered
Course
Synopsis

Sem.2 2004/2005
This is a 6-hour per week, 3 credit hour course designed to equip students
of Economics and Management with the type of English Language skills
they will require for future occupational purposes. Students will
participate in an extended work-related simulation while receiving the
necessary skills-based training to enable them to fulfill the various spoken
and written communication required of them.
The project simulation will cover the following principal areas:
Students will group together and form a number of
organizations/ companies.
Each company / organization will sub-divide to form small
groups representing the various departments / units of the
organizational structure i.e. research and design, marketing,
finance etc.
Each company / organization is to conceptualize research,
develop and produce a service or product.
Students will hold meetings and write memos, letters, market
research reports and proposals as part of the extended
simulation.

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD

LE4600-ENM

Course
Objectives

Students will be involved in a field trip whereby they will choose

a relevant company, make an appointment, prepare interview
questions, conduct interviews with professionals and write
memo report on the field trip.
Student will give group presentations (both formal and informal)
of their reports and their products or services.
Students will produce their own CVs and cover letter prior to
undergoing a simulated job interview.
Students will be taught the skills to attend job interviews.

a. Generally, upon completion of this course students should be able

to:
1. Write business documentations in English relevant to their
work field.
2. Use English spoken communication skills effectively within
their working environment.
3. Use the correct style, register and format for any written and
spoken communication skills in English.
4. Present their skills and qualifications in such a way as to
improve their prospects of gaining employment.
b. Specifically, upon completion of this course students should be
able to:
1. Write in English by applying elements of
effective
communication (7Cs principles) with appropriate content and
format in the following genres:
Memos (various types of memos which serve various
purposes such as to inform, instruct, request, confirm,
clarify, advise, remind, provide information, etc)
Business letters (enquiry and reply, letter of transmittal)
Reports (Informational Report/Analytical Report/
Business Proposal)
Minutes of meeting
CVs / Resume
Cover letters (job application letters)
2. Speak in English fluently by applying elements of effective
communication (7 Cs principle) in the following areas;
Conducting meetings
Participating in meetings
Business presentations
Negotiating skills

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD

LE4600-ENM

Course Outlines
Week
Week 1

Important
Each student has
to keep a
personal file for
easy reference

Interview skills

Topic
Introduction to the courses :
Course Description
Course Objectives
Course Assessment
Setting up a company
Divide the number of students equally to set up a company. The
maximum number of students in a company is 6.
Students choose their own team members. Encourage the students to
have a mixed group of males-females in a company.
Each group finds a name for its company. It could be based on the
existing company or the students could create a new company.
Members choose their General Manager / chairperson and secretary
and form smaller units / departments based on the needs and
requirements of the company, for example : Research & Design,
Finance, Human Resource / Personnel, Sales & Marketing, etc.
Each company should draw an organization chart and job
specifications for each member.
Determining the product / service and objectives
Each company has to come up with a new product / service to produce
or to offer. This product / service could be something totally new or it
could be an improvement on the existing product / service.
Relevant points to discuss :
- The problem / existing problem encountered by consumers /
employees with existing products / services
- What could be gain from the new product / service going to be
produced or offered by your company?
- How could the existing product / service be improved?
Once the companies have identified what they want to produce, they
can then proceed with a short business proposal.
Members conduct their level meetings.
Instruct students to keep their notes or any document related to their
project in a personal file for easy reference

Week 2
Skill Training

Meeting and Negotiation

- Procedures in meeting
- How to chair a meeting
- How to participate in meeting

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD

LE4600-ENM

Meeting announcement agenda

Taking and writing minutes
Negotiating skills

The important of Effective Business Communication and Time

Management.
Prepare Work Schedule
Language
Aspects /
Functions
Week 3
Skill Training

Reported speech
Passives
Past Tense

To propose
To agree / disagree
To negotiate
Turn taking

Memo writing
-

Discuss the general format express the existence of different

types of memos such as announcement and transmittal memos.
Discuss the functions of memos (to inform, instruct,
request, confirm, clarify, advise, remind, provide
information, etc)

Writing Business Letters

Language
Aspects /
Functions
Week 4-6
Skill Training

Discuss the general format express the existence of different

types of business letters (do not go into details of each type of
business letters)
Discuss the formulas IDRC & AIDA
Discuss the different approaches direct, indirect and
persuasive approaches
Specific focus on letter of inquiry and letter of transmittal /
cover letter

The 7Cs Principles

Language style
Vocabulary
Email
-

Receiving and sending email

Reports
- Introduce the different types of reports commonly used

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD

LE4600-ENM

(Informational, analytical and persuasive report).

Discuss the different ways of report presentation
Specific focus on memo report, analytical report, and business
proposal

Assign fieldtrip
- Decide on company, make an appointment
- Introduce telephone etiquette
- Prepare interview questions
- Prepare a field trip report (memo trip) to be handed in by
Week 9
Midterm

Letter and memo

Language
Aspects /
Functions

Classifying information
Connecting and sequencing
Describing the organizations

Week 7
Skill Training

Presentation Skills
-

Language
Aspects

Discuss aspects of effective presentations which include

delivery, verbal and nonverbal cues, language use and voice
control.
Do a lot of practice

Persuasive language

Week 8
Week 9

B R E AK
Assign Analytical report
-

The report has to be based on their current market research.

To be submitted in Week 11

Submit memo (field trip) report

Informal presentation of the field trip
Language
Aspects/
Functions
Week 10-11
Skill Training

Describing trends
Comparing ideas

Resume writing

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD

LE4600-ENM
-

Discuss the general format

Letter of Application
- Discuss the general format
Interview skills
- Conduct a mock interview
- Suggested activity members of one company will be
interviewed by members of other companies. CVs and letters of
application will be given to the panel of interviewers.
Resume and Letter of Application to be submitted in week 12
Language
Aspects /
Functions
Week 12 & 13
Skill Training

Language appropriate for interviewers and interviewees

Language styles
Vocabulary
7Cs Principles
Continue with mock interview
Consultations with lecturer concerning business plan
Submit Resume and Letter of Application.
Submit Business proposal (Business Plan)
Lecturer are to make bookings of seminar rooms and video
facilities
Lecturers are to get consents (if possible a written consent)
from students to video tape their presentations and to use the
video for future demo.

Week 14

PRESENTATION

Week 15

REVISION WEEK
FINAL EXAM

References

1) Fletcher, C (1986). Get That Job! London: Harper Collins.

2) Career City http://www.careercity.com/content/interview
3) Heller, R. & Hindle, T. (1998). Essential Managers Manual.
DK Publisher.
4) Murphy, H.A., Hildebraudt, H.W. & Thomas, J.P. (1997). (7th. Edition)
Effective Business Communication McGraw Hill.
5) Marker Laeder website for more exercise on Business English

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD

LE4600-ENM
http://www.market-leader.com
Batch of
Students
Affected

Third Year, 2nd Sem / Fourth Year, 1st Sem

SUMMARY OF PROJECT SIMULATION

STEPS IN THE SIMULATION
PROCESS
Stage One : Setting Up the Company
Stage Two : Identifying objectives
Stage Three: Creating a mission
Statement

RELATED SKILLS TRAINING

Conducting meetings.
Chairing meetings
Participating in meetings
Taking minutes
Negotiating skills
Writing Memos
Writing Business Letters
Writing Analysis Report
Writing Business Proposal

Stage Nine : Job Interview

Writing CVs / Resume

Writing job application letter
Interview skills

Stage Ten

Preparing the presentations

Multi-media applications.
Delivering the presentation.

Stage Four : Market Research and

Analysis
Stage Five : Writing Business Letters
And Memos
Stage Six : Marketing and Advertising
Plans
Stage Seven: Evaluation of your Plans
Stage Eight : Business Proposal

: Presenting the Business

Proposal

Dr Nik Suriana Nik Yusoff, CELPAD