Sino-Finnish Project: A Teaching Tool for Tertiary Business Communication Course By WANG Meiling Teacher, Shandong University, China Postgraduate, Vaasa University, Finland 9:10-9:50, 31 July, 2004

Outline Objective: To explore the pedagogical benefits of an international exchange for EFL Business Communication course teaching Structure 1.Genesis of the project 2. Project progress report 2.1 Project preparation and planning 2.2 Project implementation 2.3 Post-project feedback 3. Discussion and conclusion

1. Genesis of the project (1/4, 2/4) The course of EFL business communication needs updating to accommodate dynamic changes in the social context. 1.1 Visible gap between classroom activities and the required skills by the corporate workplaces Biz Commu as a mechanical skill Writing guidelines: C’s (courtesy, clarity & conciseness) → KISS, CBS (clear, brief, & sincere) No universal solutions to the present dynamic business environment 1.2 Some studies on as the most popular medium of intercultural communication Survey (p.21) + Style flexibility cline from fml to infml (Fig. P.22) Established fax genre vs an emerging register (to be continued) Visible gap between classroom activities and skills required by the corporate world; Increased use of in intercultural communicationcline from informal to formal.doccline from informal to formal.doc used as a teaching tool Aim: to use the opportunity presented by internationalization to improve Business Communication teaching via

1. Genesis of the project (3/4, 4/4) 1.3 Cultural competence and the teaching of EFL biz commu English as the lingua franca of the intl biz interaction Varieties of English (e.g., Euro-English, China English) Language: only part of the entire culture Cultural competence as an important element of EFL pedagogy and research 1.4 International projects as a teaching tool Pedagogical benefits (reference projects either for language acquisition or cultural perception) Purpose of the present Sino-Finnish project and assumed advantages

2. Project progress report (1/3) 2.1 Project preparation and planning case-based approach (simulated international business negotiation = company profile, case briefing, role-play assignments) genre approach (checklist as a guideline to letter composition) sensitivity to ‘conventionalized’ moves (rhetorical patterns) of subgenre letters Practical arrangements 1) curriculum conflict 2) wide different number of students for one-to-one pairs 3) teacher’s role to coach: WebCT environment

2. Project progress report (2/3 Implementation) Problems involved in the implementation stage Incorrect reading of addresses of Chinese participants; reasons: 1) several hosts; 2) individual hand-writing styles in giving addresses Improper time frame of implementation Management measures to maintain Chinese students’ enthusiasm 1) not sending out assignments at one time; 2) supplementary reading materials: a. effective writing strategies, and b. two sample letters to highlight the cultural impact on intercultural communication

2. Project progress report (3/3 post-project feedback) Needs analysis is crucial to the effectiveness of teaching Business English Techniques: a small-scale questionnaire and word commentary Findings low percentage feedback (6/15)? Questionnaire (four multiple choice questions) 1) needed skills in order of priority to train; 2) awareness of impact of cultural competence on their interaction 3) perceived usefulness of genre-based checklists; and 4) reasons for a possible dropout from the project Commentary (+) ‘rare’ or ‘precious’ opportunity as labeled by respondents (-) time clash limited assignments Corpus of exchanged messages aware of the stylistic differences (biz messages vs personal messages) proactive in solving new topics Failure to get feedback from the Finnish participants

3. Concluding remarks 3.1 Discussion: problems and solutions Time frame as the main problem and solutions Reschedule; Posting and carrying the project out in a WebCT environment; Careful dyads arrangement to encourage intensity of interaction More assignments to be devised Feedback from participants on both sides for a larger body of messages 3.2 Undeniable pedagogical value of the project full support from academic administrators and students’ enthusiasm Pedagogical benefits instructional content and method: writing + cultural competence promoted teaching method: student-centered teaching, situation-centered learning and writing as a process an innovative way to bridge the gap between classroom activities and the dynamic international business environment.

End Thank you!