Modulübersicht B 25.02 International Competence: Language and Business Culture

Nr.	Workload	Credits	Studiensemester	Häufigkeit des Angebots	Dauer
B 25.02	210 Std.	7 CP	2. Semester	jedes Semester	1 Semester

Modulverantwortliche(r)	Lehrende(r) im Modul
Dr. Elmar-Laurent Borgmann	Dr. Elmar-Laurent Borgmann, Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sarah Krajewski

Art des Moduls	Veranstaltungsform(en)	Kontaktzeit	Selbststudium	geplante Gruppengröße	Lehrsprache
Wahlpflicht	Seminar mit integrierter Übung	128 Std.	82 Std.	25 Stud.	Englisch

Verwendung des Moduls

• Bachelor-Studiengang Gesundheits- und Sozialmanagement (Basismodul)
• Bachelor-Studiengang Logistik und E-Business (Basismodul)
• Bachelor-Studiengang Management, Führung, Innovation (Basismodul)
• Bachelor-Studiengang Sportmanagement (Basismodul)

This module is interesting for students who would like to improve their linguistic and intercultural skills and complete the English Language Certificate offered by Koblenz University of Applied Sciences.

Lernergebnisse/Kompetenzen

Students design their own individualised “Personal Improvement Plan” to keep their Business English on a high level for their lifelong learning. The focus on strategic managerial interaction in international business environments provides the students with professional skills and business tools (SMART goals, SWOT analysis, etc.) to communicate appropriately in situations characterised by high-tech communication tools, fast-paced change and a high need for media literacy. Students practise managerial vocabulary and phrases required for leadership roles and develop confidence in chairing and documenting meetings with professionally written minutes. Students also design their own “Internationalisation Concept” in order to sound out their options for internationalizing themselves during their studies or later on the job. Communication skills for international experience also include the opportunity to prepare for and take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL®) in the context of the Institutional Testing Program. It aims to introduce students to the basic structure of the test and show them ways of preparing for this situation. Special emphasis will be placed on the grammar skills required for the successful completion of the "Structure and Written Expression" section of the test. Substantial practice for the listening and reading sections of the test will boost students’ academic vocabulary and their awareness of the skills required for a successful academic experience. As a result, students are able to assess their own ability to study in an English-speaking environment and to organise their successful study abroad semester or international internship. They are able to assess individual strengths and weaknesses accurately and they are able to select and utilise different types of resources in order to develop their language skills both in class and outside the class-room. In order to increase employability in modern cross-cultural work places and boost interpersonal skills, there will be an explicit focus on intercultural communication. Using interactive teaching methods and classroom situation with at least 5 different nationalities present, the module will give students the chance to learn about the theory of intercultural communication and put their newly acquired knowledge into practice in concrete simulations and case studies. The theory of intercul-tural incidents and lived practice-examples described by students will be interlaced – so that stu-dents can develop the relevant competencies for working, studying and living in a global business environment through taking an active part in role-plays and discussions. This module builds on the linguistic and intercultural skills acquired in Module B14. Students will expand their business vocabulary and the range of relevant standard phrases for typical business tasks and routines, especially in situations such as interacting with customers, sustaining negotia-tions and presenting their companies/products. They will familiarise themselves with international job search methods and application procedures in order to prepare for study abroad semesters, international internships and international academic projects. They will also develop their written skills in order to deal with typical academic assessment methods at our partner universities.

Kompetenzerwerb

Lernzielstufe	Kursbeitrag
Sozial- und Kommunikationskompetenz	Ability to *take an active part in a blended learning environment and develop a “digital presence” on the learning platform *conduct quantitative surveys through interviews *apply business tools such as SMART goal setting and SWOT analysis *conduct one’s own project and present mile stones in class *produce fair feedback on others’ projects *manage meetings effectively *formulate a “Personal Improvement Plan” *design an Internationalisation Strategy *clarify questions concerning grammar, lexis and problem-solving strategies in teams *use critical incidents in order to extract and illustrate intercul-tural theories *look at own culture from a different perspective *embrace diversity in groups *analyse and describe intercultural differences for documen-tation (e.g. in a podcast) *explain, analyse and make recommendations for a situation where a student was the object of a cultural stereotype *create a positive atmosphere in intercultural encounters *write appealing essays to express own views and insights on topics related to own academic interests *use appropriate strategies for international job search and application procedures *sell ideas and win people over to one’s own project proposals
Spracherwerb	Ability to use *advanced grammatical structures of written English *lexical and grammatical relationships between the items and concepts expressed in standard written English *appropriate connecting words to express relationships *correct English word order *TOEFL test-taking skills, e.g. strategic listening for main ideas, listening for details explicitly stated, listening for implications, completing sentences, spotting mistakes, reading for detail, identifying signal words, etc. *appropriate signposting language for presentations *suitable linking language for essays and academic papers *business vocabulary for standard situations *international conventions governing citations and lucid documentation of sources
Wissenserwerb	Knowledge of *relevant theories on communication and culture in virtual teams *aggregating own survey results in meaningful reports *documenting meeting outcomes professionally in minutes and giving constructive feedback to others *SMART goal setting and SWOT analysis *models of self-management *the significance of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages *the meaning and usability of TOEFL test scores *typical structures and contents of academic listening and reading materials *relevant theories on communication and culture (e.g. mono-chronic vs. polychronic behavior) *models of intercultural dimensions (Hofstede) *different leadership competences (e.g. consensual vs. adversarial)
Wissensvertiefung	Knowledge of *useful strategies for project management *resources for individual language work *strategies for the preparation of study abroad semesters, in-ternational internships or short-term mobility projects (includ-ing scholarship opportunities) *resources for individual language work *strategies for the preparation of documentation for interna-tional applications requiring proof of proficiency in the English language *resources for individual research on the areas of language and intercultural communication *habits, customs and values in different cultural environ-ments *the nature and influence of stereotypes on business *online resources for in-depth language study
Instrumentale Kompetenz	Application of the theoretical knowledge in *case studies and group simulation exercises *authentic conversations in international settings / with international participants *new test materials (e.g. TOEFL) *real life case studies and group simulation exercises *authentic conversations in international settings / with international participants *blog posts, email communication, memos and invitations
Systemische Kompetenz	Evaluation of *business English situations and intercultural incidents *personal individual skills and abilities *personal potential for future development *culturally coded behaviour patterns *business English situations and intercultural incidents

Vermittelte Schlüsselqualifikationen

Project management skills (tender bids, mile stones, final reports), life-long learning skills, creative and critical thinking, self-improvement and leadership skills, story-telling skills, time management skills, sustainability focus skills, attention to detail, managing an online presence. Analytical skills, integrated listening skills, text production skills, reading skills, time management skills.

International English and communication skills, distinction of different registers, cultural aware-ness, intercultural leadership skills, conflict management skills. International English and communication skills, distinction of different registers, integrated listen-ing skills, text production skills, reading skills, conflict management skills, job search and as-sessment centre skills.

Inhalte

Students will try out successful leadership in the English language and reflect about their pro-gress: organizing and chairing meetings, initiating, proposing and supervising their own projects, analysing and giving professional feedback on minutes and email messages. Students use man-agement tools (such as SMART and SWOT) for creating sustainability-focused improvement plans and internationalisation strategies and learn how to encourage change and to organise collabora-tion. Students learn about the relevance and usability of the standardised TOEFL test and the learning is adjusted to the students’ individual needs. Integrated practice for the Listening and the Reading sections of the test is supplemented with skill-building exercises on specific problems tested in TOEFL tests – such as inversion, noun clauses, adjective clauses, prepositional phrases, tenses, conditional clauses, causatives, parallel structures, transitive and in-transitive verbs, impersonal expressions of importance etc. Students discover a variety of resources for self-directed lan-guage improvement. On the basis of real-life “critical incidents” students train their analytical skills, develop awareness of cultural differences and act accordingly. The intercultural competence gained is both “culture-general” and “culture-specific”. Theoretical insights into different working and leadership styles, different perceptions of time, different religions, and different education styles are applied in ex-ercises and in concrete simulations involving active interaction with participants from several other cultures. Students learn to embrace cultural diversity as a competitive advantage and acquire the ability to master difficult intercultural communications problems such as those that arise in interna-tional business. Students will be introduced to successful office work in the English language: telephoning, rele-vant skills for business meetings and negotiations, written documents for decision support, inter-national application documents (such as cover letter, resume, references), essay writing skills and virtual communication in blogs, online meetings and similar digital environments.

Lehrformen

Interactive talks and in-class discussions, guided pair work and small-group assignments, Blended Learning formats, analysis of video case studies, exercises to enable self-reflection and under-stand stereotypes, simulation of business communication situations, text discussions, text pro-duction with individual feedback.

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen

Formal: Full time B.A. students in the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences.

Academic: Skills developed in Module B 14. Ability to communicate in an English-speaking academic environment.

Prüfungsformen

Prüfungsleistung in Form von Assignments (bestehend aus vier schriftlichen gleichgewichteten Einheiten).

Art	Datum der Leistungserbringung	Prüfungsanmeldung
(bitte Zeitangabe ...Min)		Ende 1. HS*	Ende 2. HS*	individuelles Datum
Klausur: 90 Min.	wird vom PA festgelegt*			bei Klausur nicht möglich
Test: ...Min.	tt.mm.jj			tt.mm.jj
Präsentation	tt.mm.jj			tt.mm.jj
Hausarbeit	tt.mm.jj			tt.mm.jj
Hausarbeit mit Präsentation	tt.mm.jj			tt.mm.jj
Andere (Assignments)	wird im Rahmen der Seminare festgelegt		X	x

* Prüfungsamt Termine

Bewertung

Voraussetzung für die Vergabe von ECTS-Punkten ist das Bestehen der Prüfungsleistung für das Modul. Diese wird aus den einzelnen Bestandteilen des Assignments generiert, welche gleichge-wichtet in die Modulbewertung eingehen. Es gibt keine Bestehensgrenzen auf Basis der einzelnen Einheiten des Assignments. Das Modul geht mit 7 ECTS in die Gesamtzahl von 180 ECTS-Punkten ein.

Literaturhinweise

Johnson, Christine (2005). Intelligent Business Intermediate. Skills Book (With CD-Rom), Harlow: Pearson Longman. Pocklington, Jackie; Patrik Schulz; Erich Zettl (2007). Das professionelle 1 x 1: Bewerben auf Englisch: Leitfaden mit Tipps und Mustern für den erfolgreichen Eintritt in den internationalen Arbeitsmarkt mit CD-ROM. Berlin: Cornelsen. Gibson, Robert (2014). Intercultural Business Communication. Cornelsen & Oxford University Press, 2014. Emmerson, Paul (2013). Email English, Second Edition with a new social media section and a phrase bank of useful expressions. London: Macmillan. Hughes, John (2010). Telephone English: Includes phrase bank and role plays, London: Macmil-lan. Murphy, Raymond (2015). English Grammar in Use Book with Answers and Interactive eBook: A Self-study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English. Fourth Edition. Powell, Mark (2014). In company 3.0. Intermediate Student’s Book Pack Premium. London: Macmillan. Ungerer, Friedrich. Gerhard E. H. Meier. Klaus Schäfer (2009). A Grammar of Present-Day Eng-lish. Stuttgart: Klett.

TOEFL ITP: Gear, Jolene and Richard Gear (2002): Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test, 3rd edition, Cambridge: CUP. TOEFL IBT: Rogers, Bruce (2007): The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test. iBT Edition. Boston: Thomson. Vittorio, Pamela (2011). Testbuilder for TOEFL iBT(TM). Tests that Teach, Student's Book. London: Macmillan. DIGITAL RESOURCES: Business English: Meetings. Selbstlernkurs + Vokabeltrainer mit authentischen Gesprächssituationen und abwechslungsreiche Übungen für amerikanisches und britisches Englisch. München: digital publishing [Lernsoftware]. Eine Vielzahl weiterer digitaler Studienressourcen sind über unsere Lernplattform OpenOLAT zugänglich.

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Abstract: International Competence: Language and Business Culture

Code	Workload	Credits	Level	Frequency	Duration
B 25.02	210 hrs	7 CP	2nd semester	every semester	1 semester

Type	Teaching format	Contact hours	Independent study	Group size	Language of tuition
Elective	Seminar with Integrated Tutorial	128 hrs	82 hrs	ca. 25 students per group	English

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