Business Communication Today (Repost)

As a university prof teaching ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses at undergraduate level, I regularly use texts that offer authentic language (English, not designed for english teching) from various fields to design study material, mostly from the technology and business sectors. While attending a conference in Singapore this winter I stumbled across this text and immediatelly recognised I had found a gem, but I had no idea how valuable it would become until later.

I thought that it would supplement my current selection of business material, but I soon found that it not only offers excellent examples of english vocabulary for study purposes not found in a technical learning environment, but also serves as a standard reference for modern day business communications. Having longed for a text like this while working in the electronics industry, now as a teacher I have found it. This 'encyclopeadia' is so much more than a comprehensive guide to business communications; it leads the reader through topics by presenting interesting, current and concise information, giving checklists, using examples, summarising, posing critical thinking questions, using illustrated documents for analysis, and well-thought out exercises. It can be used both as a self-study text and a teacher's textbook. Designed to present foundations of business communication, it offers the native and non-native English speaker what they need to know; from writing memos and reports to giving presentations and understanding electronic communication over the Internet. Needless to say this book has moved from my adjunct shelf as a model for good English to my content shelf where it regularly serves as a core text for my language and written/oral presentation classes. It is a must have – I'm not sure how I got along without it. I now look forward to exploring other texts available in this series.