English as a Global Language

Стр 1 из 27Следующая ⇒

Over the past several decades, English has acquired a global presence. Currently, over 1.5 billion people around the world use English as their first, second, or foreign language. English is the dominant or official language in over 60 countries. It is a preferred and increasingly accepted means of international and intercultural communication. It is the language of politics and diplomacy, the language of science and technology, and, more importantly for the present course of lectures, the language used in business contexts.

Knowledge of all foreign languages is important, but the English language is the language of the world. As for Business English, it is the major language in such areas as science, technology, mass media and business. Therefore, the 21st century businessperson has to study Business English for it is absolutely necessary nowadays: it can boost the business career.

From the Towel of Babel on there have been countless examples of human’s inability to understand the other human. This vitally important problem is feasible today, as well, especially when people speak different languages. And they try to learn one and the same language to avoid the misunderstanding in communication.

It is undeniable that all business people look forward more to their business that is why they cannot deny the advantage of learning Business English today, when Russia is integrating into the world community [16, c. 2].

So, Business Language enables Russian learners to enlarge their vocabulary, develop their speech habits and communicate in business activity not only in Russia, but also abroad, in:

- dealing with partners;

- developing core business-related skills;

- participating in exhibitions and fairs;

- presenting products;

- meeting objectives and negotiating;

- writing business documentation;

- managing different situations of business communications.

The World of Business

The term business in the phrase the world of business also calls for an explanation.

Business - a person, firm, company or other organization which makes or produces a product, buys and sells goods or provides some kind of service, usually, for the purpose of making a profit; trading generally; the practice of commerce (коммерческая деятельность).

Most employers look for people who feel confident working in an international environment.

To be successful, professionals need to be able to present themselves well in a wide range of situations such as meetings, negotiations, giving presentations as well as social gatherings. A big part of building that confidence is being able to speak good English, which is more or less taken for granted in today’s business world [30, c.12].

To stay in the game in a highly competitive market, mastering English is getting increasingly important. Let us help you reach your career goals and beyond.

Results that pay off Here are just some of the benefits you get from taking a course of Business English:

- Increased confidence when conducting business in English

- Greater verbal fluency for face-to-face business situations

- More professional approach when representing your organization

- Improved cross-border communication with colleagues and clients.

Career Opportunities

Under career one understand any positive change in employee’s position, e.g. in the post, in a work place, etc. The main goals of any career include: high salary; power in managing people; high style of living; high level of knowledge, competences and skills.

It is generally accepted that there are some stages in the business career:

• Preparation (age: 18-22. The goal is good education).

• Adaptation (age: 23-30. The goal is mastering professional skills and the result is losing illusions).

• Stability (age: 30-40. The goals are managing people and gaining a definite reputation).

• Consolidation (age: 40-50. The main goal is continuing the climbing the management ladder or mastering new professions or activities).

• Preparation for the pension (age: 50-...)

The major components of a career are known to be as follows: length, higher point (peak career), position level, potential mobility and main goals. There are some types of career: administrative; professional; vertical; horizontal: " merry-go-round" (moving from one department to another in order better to understand the specific labor character) and " labor enrichment" (superior’s substitution). Success in business requires training and hard work.

What is Business English?

Business English is the language used in business contexts.

How English is used in real business situations?

The two business schedules adduced below differ to a certain extent, but at the same time they have a number of things in common. Both professionals relied on the English language as a means of business communication and put it to different uses:

· they used English to socialize;

· they resorted to English when discussing business over the telephone;

· they wrote letters and emails; they sent faxes; they drafted contracts and articles;

· they held business meetings and negotiations.

In other words, they used different varieties of English distinguished according to use. In linguistic terminology, these different functional uses are called registers.

It follows, then, that in the reality of business situations, Business English can hardly be reduced to one register. It embraces a number of registers. They merge and interact within a global v/hole called business communication. One is justified, therefore, in looking at Business English as an interplayof registers:

· Socializing (техника ведения беседы)

· Telephoning (телефонное общение в деловых целях),

· Business documents and contracts (деловая документация и контракты),

· Business meetings (деловая встреча),

· Presentations (презентация),

· Business correspondence (деловая переписка),

· Negotiating (техника ведения переговоров) and

· Applying for a job (устройство на работу).

The interplay of registers in Business English is symbiotic. The adjective symbiotic is derived from the noun symbiosis which denotes the relationship between several things that depend on each other for particular advantages [30, c. 17].

Business Organizations

Business organizations belong to either the private or the public sector. The private sector consists of companies belonging to private individuals, and the public sector of companies owned by the government of the country.

The private sector

There are various types of business organization which operate in the private sector:

Sole traders A business run by a sole trader has just one owner, who is entirely responsible for all the company’s business affairs. This type of organization has certain advantages and disadvantages:

+	-
The sole trader doesn’t have to consult anyone else when making decisions. The profits do not have to be shared with anyone else.	A sole trader has to bear 100 % of the risks incurred by his company. For this reason, he may have more difficulties raising capital. A sole trader has unlimited liability for his company, which means that if he goes bankrupt, he may lose both his company and his personal property.

Partnerships A business run by a partnership has two or more owners. When entering into a partnership, an agreement is drawn up defining the rights, responsibilities and liabilities of each partner, such as how the profits are to be distributed and what part each partner is to play in managing the company. The partners may be active, meaning that they are actively involved in the company’s business; or sleeping, which means they invest money in the company and receive a share of the profits, but do not concern themselves with the company’s business affairs.

There are two types of partnership:

a) General or ordinary partnership, where all partners have unlimited liability.

b) Limited or special partnership, consisting of at least one general partner with unlimited liability and at least one limited partner whose liability is limited to the capital he has invested. The limited partners do not run the risk of losing their personal property if the company goes bankrupt, but neither do they have any say in how the business is run.

Joint-stock companies From a legal point of view, a joint-stock company counts as a separate person, which means that its shareholders (owners) and directors (the people chosen by the shareholders to rim the company) only have limited liability. The shareholders each receive one dividend (part of the profit) per share. There are two types of joint-stock company:

a) Public limited company (plc)

The capital for this type of company is raised from members of the public. For this reason, a plc can be listed on the stock exchange, although it doesn’t have to be. Before it can start doing business, a plc needs to have a minimum amount of share capital (in England for example, it needs to issue at least £ 50, 000 worth of shares).

b) Private limited company (Ltd.)

There are many more private limited companies than public limited companies. The shares of a private limited company are held by specially chosen persons or companies, which means it can’t be listed on the stock exchange. However unlike public limited companies, private limited companies don’t need minimum amount of share capital — it’s theoretically possible for a private limited company to have just one share held by one person.

The public sector

As we know, firms in the public sector are owned by the government, one example being the post office. However, in certain countries, notably in Britain, there is a trend towards privatization or selling certain government-owned organizations such as the railway and telephone companies back to the private sector. This has both positive and negative aspects:

+	-
As firms active in these privatized industries may find themselves in competition with other firms, it is in their interest to make the services provided more efficient, which benefits the customer. The money raised can be used to reduce taxes.	As firms in the private sector are mainly interested in making a profit, privatization may make certain services more expensive for the customer. Necessary services may not be provided because they aren’t profitable.

Companies in the public sector have certain similarities to public limited companies. However, there are a few important differences:

• While public limited companies are owned by the public, public sector companies are owned by the government.

• The chairman of a plc is chosen by the shareholders, whereas the chairman of a public sector company is chosen by the government.

• A plc obtains capital by selling shares, a public sector company by selling stocks.

• The profits earned by a plc go to the shareholders; the profits earned by a public sector company go back to the government.

• Where the main objective of a plc is to make the largest possible profit, public sector companies are created primarily to provide the public with essential services [39, с. 137-141].

POST-LECTURE QUESTIONS:

1. Why is Business English considered to be the cross-cultural language in the World of Business?

2. What is the role of Business English in your future career?

3. If you were to start a small business such as a shop, would you prefer to do business as a sole trader, or would you go into partnership? Why?

4. Using your own words, explain the two types of joint-stock company. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Mention some examples of joint-stock companies in your country.

5. Give some examples of public sector organization in your country. What effects do think privatization would have on these organizations and on the services they provide?

EXERCISES and ACTIVITIES

Work and jobs

12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Следующая ⇒