| Abstrakt: |
Since the turn of the century, the number of fluent non-native speakers of English across the world has quickly accelerated. The use of English as a global lingua franca, including its widespread acceptance as the universal language of business, has ascended across multiple social and economic environments. However, in spite of the strengthening union between regular English language use and the world of business, many post-secondary institution graduates are inadequately prepared for the realities of the cross-cultural business transactions they will face in their professional lives. In spite of growing evidence that something is amiss, many business educators maintain oft-used teaching methodologies that can be heavily dependent on practices that include adapted course books or traditional grammar-based themes. This author has found that such methods, by their failure to inculcate both the communicative abilities needed for future leaders and the high level of language fluency needed for such roles, do not always prepare students to later adapt to a world composed of multicultural complexities. Hence, this work proposes the use of a dynamic method which would better instill both business English and managerial communication skills in students - and one that would allow them to increase their cross-cultural and communicative competence. This method is known as the case study approach. The following work begins with the premise that the approach can effectively help students to acquire a comprehensive range of vocabulary, speaking and understanding skills as they elevate their English language fluency. Then, by outlining the case of a real, functioning business, and describing the challenges and aims of that business, the author will show how the approach can be used as an effective managerial teaching tool in new communication spheres and environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
